“Close, But No Cigar”

The expression “close but no cigar” is used to indicate that someone has fallen just short of a successful outcome and failed to secure any reward, or is just plain wrong. But where did this, and other colloquialisms originate? Let’s explore.

The expression “close but no cigar” is thought to have come from carnies back in the day when fairground stalls gave out cigars as prizes. The phrase is also said to have been used in a 1940's radio show whose advertiser was White Owl cigars. It was a fifteen-minute question and answer show where there would be a host with a microphone in the audience (or balcony) who would pick a person in the audience to try to answer a question.
The questioner would start off with the phrase, “for one silver dollar and a White Owl cigar, what was…?” If the answer was correct, the next question was harder. If the first answer was incorrect, the questioner would say, "close, but no cigar."

Now here is an old term, although not as fun, that I learned a portion of the meaning from my friend and fellow author, Brooke Cox.
Did you ever wonder why a “Wake” is held for the deceased? My research shows that the word wake does not refer to the deceased person's family members staying awake as they hold vigil over the body. Instead, it refers to the ancient tradition of watching over the dead person's body in the hope, or dread, that he/she might come back to life, or "wake up.” In times before embalming came into practice, a “Wake” could go for hours, or even days, as an added measure to be certain the deceased was actually, well, deceased. Anybody want to sign up for that job?

How about “barking up the wrong tree?” The origin is said to date back to the early 1800’s America when hunting with packs of dogs was common. The term was used literally at first when prey animals such as racoons would somehow trick dogs into believing they were up a certain tree, when in fact, they had escaped. So, dogs barking at the base of an empty tree were said to be barking up the wrong tree. Today, we use this term as a way of telling someone they are incorrect, or on the wrong track in their thinking or in their search for answers.

So, if you have recently attended a “Wake” where you were told you were mistaken when you claimed you saw the deceased move, someone may have said to you “close, but no cigar,” or maybe you were just “barking up the wrong tree.”

If you have any comments, thoughts, or additional information about these sayings, please leave them below. I would love to hear other takes on these.