close, but no cigar
nice try, but no cigar

Close but no cigar until you know for sure how it got there."

"It's been close but no cigar," Branch said, "with a lot of heartache."

"Close but no cigar," she said, waggling her eyebrows and leering.

Finished the last swallow of coffee, I tossed the cup at the nearest container... close but no cigar.

The expression "close but no cigar" comes from the practice of giving cigars as prizes in games involving good aim at fairgrounds.

The lyrical theme for "Close But No Cigar" is also very similar.

Close but no cigar.

Seen it wrong, as it happened, but seen it nonetheless, close but no cigar.

Sorry, Ms. Robinson, close but no cigar.

Pulitzer Prize: Close but No Cigar!

"Twelve hundred meters, close but no cigar, Sarn't.

Close But No Cigar (2001)

Engle considered (Love Bo that's not it close but no cigar) the champagne, but only briefly.

Cigarettes the Cat was featured in the music video for Weird Al's song "Close but No Cigar".

Still, the "close but no cigar" feeling that is barely disguised by the winning series and feel-good victories can and is taking somewhat of a toll.

With the regular features Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, and Close but No Cigar.

'Close but no cigar . . .' 'Not when you see the handwriting on your room bill.

Music video by Weird Al Yankovic performing Close But No Cigar.

Season 5: Season 5 had a "Close but No Cigar" week to decide who would join the seven undefeated winners in the normal tournament.

Eddie Van Halen plays on "Eastern Bloc" and "Close But No Cigar".

The highest-charting song off this album was "Close But No Cigar", which reached No. 22 on the UK charts.

As well as a great mix of music you'll hear a song you thought was number 1, but was only number 2 in the 'Close but no cigar' feature.

In "Close but No Cigar," she trys to duplicate poses found in famous photographs and paintings and imitates the idealized appearance of a Barbie doll.

Bob is also due to star in the documentary film, "Close But No Cigar", directed by Jay Kanzler, which chronicles his thirty-plus years in show business.

"Close But No Cigar" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on his album Straight Outta Lynwood.