Examples:

• The team made it to the finals but lost in the last minute—close but no cigar.
• He almost hit a perfect score on the exam but missed one question, so it was close but no cigar.
• Sarah tried to guess my age and got very close, but it was close but no cigar.
• They came in second place at the competition, which was close but no cigar.
• I almost caught the bus this morning, but it left just as I arrived—close but no cigar.
• The inventor's design worked well in testing, but it failed in the final demonstration—close but no cigar.
• He reached the last round of the interview process, but didn’t get the job—close but no cigar.
• The golfer was inches away from sinking the putt, but it was close but no cigar.
• The movie almost won the Best Picture award, but another film edged it out—close but no cigar.
• You almost hit the bullseye in darts—close but no cigar.
• The company’s new product was well-received, but sales didn’t hit the target—close but no cigar.
• I was so close to solving the puzzle, but I got stuck on the last clue—close but no cigar.
• They nearly broke the world record, but fell short by just a few seconds—close but no cigar.
• She was second in line for the promotion, close but no cigar.
• His shot at goal was perfect, but the ball hit the post—close but no cigar.
• We almost finished the project on time, but a last-minute issue delayed us—close but no cigar.
• The candidate came close to winning the election but lost by a narrow margin—close but no cigar.
• They almost found the missing item during the treasure hunt, close but no cigar.
• The car was about to cross the finish line first, but another racer sped ahead—close but no cigar.
• She was almost selected for the lead role in the play, but another actress got it—close but no cigar.