Hello everybody, my name is Coach Shane and welcome to easy English expressions.

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Hello everybody, welcome back to Daily Easy English Expression.

Today's expression is very good.

It is close but no cigar.

Close but no cigar. Close but no cigar.

If something is close but no cigar, that means you gave an answer that was almost right but not exactly right.

Okay, so let me explain a little bit close. C-L-O-S-E, very strong S-S sound.

That means almost. Close. Almost. Very near, nearly. Cigar. Now, a cigar, that's one of those really big brown, fat, you know, things that mostly men, but some

women smoke cigars.

They smell.

They're not cigarettes.

Cigarettes are usually white.

I know some cigarettes are brown, too.

But cigars, those are the more expensive ones, really fat.

Famous cigars are from Cuba, Honduras, Central America, I guess makes some of the best cigars.

In America, if somebody gives you a cigar, especially between business people, that means they are congratulating you. You have done something and you

won, or you were very successful at something. Maybe you took, maybe you're a lawyer and you

won in court. They might give you a cigar, or you signed a new contract, they might give you a cigar.

Many men in America, if their friend, if their buddy, if his wife obviously has a baby,

they give a cigar as congratulations.

So close but no cigar means, oh, you're almost right, You were almost successful, but sorry, we're not giving you the prize.

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