Why is it close but no cigar?

It comes from traveling fairs and carnivals from the 1800s. The prizes back then were not giant-sized stuffed teddy bears, they were usually cigars or bottles of whiskey. If you missed the prize at a carnival game, the carnie folk would shout, “Close! But no cigar!”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on wytv.com


Who first said Close but no cigar?

“Close, but no cigar” is widely used to signal a near miss. The earliest instance of its use anyone has found is in the 1935 film Annie Oakley, which has the line “Close, Colonel, but no cigar!” Why a cigar?
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on freakonomics.com


Who says Close but no cigar?

You might remember the famous line from the film Annie Oakley, “Close, Colonel, but no cigar!”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on rd.com


How old is the saying Close but no cigar?

Throughout the 1930s, the phrase started appearing in newspapers more widely and by the late 1940s was nearly ubiquitous. There was even a story in 1949 from Lima, Ohio about a cigar factory nearly burning down which used the phrase, “close, but no cigar.”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on todayifoundout.com


What does sorry no dice mean?

phrase. If you are trying to achieve something and you say that it's no dice, you mean that you are having no success or luck with it. If someone asks you for something and you reply no dice, you are refusing to do what they ask.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com


"Weird Al" Yankovic - Close But No Cigar



What does until the cow comes home mean?

informal. : for a very long time They'll be arguing about this till the cows come home.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


Where did the saying mind your P's and Q's originate?

The first is in a poem by Charles Churchill, published in 1763: 'On all occasions next the chair / He stands for service of the Mayor, / And to instruct him how to use / His As and Bs, and Ps and Qs. ' The conclusion must be that this is the true origin."
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


What are examples of idioms?

Common Idioms in English
  • Getting fired turned out to be a blessing in disguise. ...
  • These red poppies are a dime a dozen. ...
  • Don't beat around the bush. ...
  • After some reflection, he decided to bite the bullet. ...
  • I'm going to call it a night. ...
  • He's got a chip on his shoulder. ...
  • Would you cut me some slack? - Don't be so hard on me.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on examples.yourdictionary.com


Where does the phrase no dice come from?

The phrase 'no dice' originated in America in the early 20th century. Gambling was illegal in several states, making gamblers take care to hide their dice or even swallow them if challenged by authorities. Courts would often throw gambling cases out if no dice were in evidence.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on gingersoftware.com


What does can't swing a cat mean?

or room to swing a cat. phrase. If you say 'There's no room to swing a cat' or 'You can't swing a cat', you mean that the place you are talking about is very small or crowded. It was described as a large, luxury mobile home, but there was barely room to swing a cat.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com


What is the meaning of not fit to hold a candle?

Also, not fit to or cannot hold a candle to. Be inferior to someone or something, as in This hotel can't hold a candle to the Palace, or This new friend of his is not fit to hold a candle to his former buddies.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What does the phrase screw the pooch mean?

Meaning "to commit an egregious blunder," the phrase "screw the pooch" may not come up very often on news shows, but it has been piquant slang for several decades. Many Americans were introduced to the expression in "The Right Stuff," Tom Wolfe's 1979 account of the country's first astronauts in the Mercury Project.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on wsj.com


What does spilling the beans mean?

Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely, as in You can count on little Carol to spill the beans about the surprise. In this colloquial expression, first recorded in 1919, spill means “divulge,” a usage dating from the 1500s.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is the meaning of it is raining cats and dogs?

“Cats and dogs” may come from the Greek expression cata doxa, which means “contrary to experience or belief.” If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on loc.gov


Why do they call it getting cold feet?

They got cold feet. ' That is they lost courage or enthusiasm. By the early 1900s, the phrase was being used on college campuses, and a few years later, the term `coldfooter' was applied to those who were afraid to fight in the Great War.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on npr.org


Where does wet your whistle come from?

"Wet your whistle" comes from the use of "whistle" to refer to the mouth or throat. Given that to wet your whistle means to drink, this makes sense. The phrase first appears toward the end of the 14th century in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on michiganradio.org


What does to ride the high horse mean?

Definition of high horse

: an arrogant and unyielding mood or attitude.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


Where does the phrase cost an arm and a leg come from?

After the American Civil War, Congress enacted a special pension for soldiers who had lost both an arm and a leg. The phrase “cost an arm and a leg” begins to crop up in newspaper archives in 1901, referring to accidents and war injuries.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on english.stackexchange.com


What does she can t cut the mustard mean?

To cut the mustard is “to reach or surpass the desired standard or performance” or more generally “to succeed, to have the ability to do something.” For instance, Beyoncé really cut the mustard in her new song.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is the meaning of driving me up the wall?

informal. : to make (someone) irritated, angry, or crazy Your constant tapping is driving me up the wall!
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What is the meaning of a can of worms?

Definition of open a can of worms

: to create a complicated situation in which doing something to correct a problem leads to many more problems Our boss is reluctant to change the policy now because she doesn't want to open a can of worms.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What does a big cheese mean?

Meaning of big cheese in English

an important person in a company or an organization with a lot of influence: He left business school and became a big cheese in the City.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.cambridge.org


What is breaking the ice?

To remove the tension at a first meeting, at the opening of a party, etc.: “That joke really broke the ice at the conference; we all relaxed afterward.”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is the meaning of it's a piece of cake?

Definition of piece of cake

: something easily done : cinch, breeze.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


Why are dogs called pooches?

Of uncertain origin. One (unsubstantiated) conjecture is that the word comes from Putzi, a common German name given to lapdogs. The name Putzi is possibly formed from German Putz + -i, influenced by German putzig (“funny, cute, small”, adjective).
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wiktionary.org
Previous question
What's the best stitch for a scarf?