"___ but no cigar!"

Latest answer — September 20, 2026

8 Down

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Clue explained

“Close, but no cigar!” is an expression used when someone nearly succeeds but falls short. CLOSE supplies the omitted first word of the quoted phrase.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A target showing an attempt that landed just short of the bullseye

NYT Midi Crossword

This clue's Sunday, September 20, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Bear witness (to)
  2. 7"Back in Black" band
  3. 11:United_States: + :club_suit: = ___?
  4. 13:crossed_fingers: + :diamond_suit: = ___?
  5. 14Calculation on a bank of airport monitors, for short
  6. 15Cause of worry lines, some say
  7. 16Bio. or chem.
  8. 18Small map on a larger map
  9. 19Champagne-opening sound
  10. 21Sports squad
  11. 23Possible response to "Are you solving a crossword?"
  12. 26:potted_plant: + :spade_suit: = ___?
  13. 30:purple_square: + :heart_suit: = ___?
  14. 31Sawed logs
  15. 32"The Lion King" villain
  16. 33Horse's gait
  17. 34Have to pay

Down

  1. 1Feel a tough workout the next day
  2. 2Gentle honks
  3. 3Rapper whose name is often stylized with a number
  4. 4Opposite of WSW
  5. 5Regulations: Abbr.
  6. 6Three-sided steak cut
  7. 7High points
  8. 8"___ but no cigar!"
  9. 9Kirsten of "The Power of the Dog," 2021
  10. 10Ingredient in some edibles, for short
  11. 12Material of interest to a knitter or kitten
  12. 17Apple tablet with heavy-duty processing power
  13. 20Eggy breakfast
  14. 21Jeer
  15. 22See the ___ of your ways
  16. 23More or less
  17. 24Orangutans and bonobos
  18. 25Chain of auto repair shops
  19. 26Navigation tool in a maps app, for short
  20. 27The Dutch, on soccer scoreboards
  21. 28Sketch
  22. 29French "to be"

The answer to “"___ but no cigar!"” in the New York Times Midi crossword is CLOSE — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 20, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 8-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“"___ but no cigar!"” answer

CLOSE (5 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is CLOSE.

What does CLOSE mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of CLOSE is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(adjective)

  • only a short distance away or apart in space or time
  • denoting a family member who is part of a person's immediate family, typically a parent or sibling
  • (of observation, examination, etc.) done in a careful and thorough way

When else has “"___ but no cigar!"” appeared?

New York Times Midi reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 20, 2026 (most recent) → CLOSE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"___ but no cigar!"”?

The answer is CLOSE, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 20, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"___ but no cigar!"”?

5 letters: CLOSE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 20, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 8-Down.

Can “"___ but no cigar!"” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Midi sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Midi answers?

The full grid for September 20, 2026 is on the NYT Midi answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Midi Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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