Close but no cigar

[Britney]

When you come close to something but dont quite get there.
Just short of success
This phrase originated in the [1920s]. Fair grounds would give cigars away as prizes. Prizes were more aimed at the adults then vs. children like they are now. The fair workers would shout out [close but no cigar].... The first written documentation of this word appeared in the [1930s] and then became a common phrase.