horseshoe

Related to horseshoe: horseshoe kidney

close only counts in horseshoes (and hand grenades)

proverb Being nearly successful or accurate is not the same as being successful or accurate; being close to achieving something does not provide any benefit. It doesn't matter that we only lost the game by two points—we still lost! And close only counts in horseshoes. A: "You should be proud that you came so close to being valedictorian." B: "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."
See also: close, count, hand, horseshoe
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Close only counts in horseshoes (and hand grenades).

Prov. Coming close but not succeeding is not good enough. I came close to winning the election, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
See also: close, count, horseshoe
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • Close only counts in horseshoes
  • close only counts in horseshoes (and hand grenades)
  • deceive
  • appearance
  • appearances can be deceiving
  • take (something) with a grain of salt
  • take (something) with a pinch of salt
  • take something with a pinch of salt
  • take with a pinch of salt
  • that's my story and I'm sticking to it
References in periodicals archive
14 June 2016 - Bermuda-based insurance management and consulting services provider Horseshoe Group has acquired Bermuda-based specialised fund administrator Ikonic Fund Services to form an independent fund administrator and insurance manager dedicated to both the Insurance Linked Securities and the alternative fund markets, the company said.
Recognized internationally for their ERP expertise and strategic management consulting, Blue Horseshoe plans to use RR mAX as leverage to extend and enhance Dynamics AX particularly in food and beverage markets worldwide.
Todd Callan, HomCo's chief operating officer, got the idea for the event by socializing with other industry professionals and noticing that playing horseshoes allowed for more and better interaction than company golf outings.
Sapp, who had not pitched a "shoe" in almost 20 years until she gave it a try again on Wednesday at one of the mobile home park's two horseshoe pits, was the state association's women's champion four straight years, from 1993 to 1996.
Horseshoe crabs have wandered our earth for 450 million years.
A quota system and several complete closures of coastal waters have been implemented for harvesting horseshoe crabs for the eel and whelk fisheries (ASMFC, 1998, 2012), and this led to a significant decrease in the commercial harvest levels of horseshoe crabs, from around 2 million crabs in 2000 to 600,000-700,000 crabs in 2014 (ASMFC, 2013).
Various theories have been put forward regarding the purpose of hipposandals, including: | Temporary horseshoes.
The search terms included: "horseshoe kidney", "kidney fusion", "kidney vascular" and "surgery".
ButThe Horseshoe showed why they are at the top of the table and found their groove thanks to Jim McGeary, Scott Baillie and AndyThompson.
Horseshoe Casino in Perryvillebe granted a reduction of 5 percent from the current rate of 61 percent to as low as 56 percent.
Dougie said: "I was meeting a pal for a pint in the Horseshoe and asked the barman where the Brit Award that used to sit behind the bar was.
The opening of the New Horseshoe is something of a homecoming for brothers Nav and Jag Hayer, who are Coventry born and bred.
Located next door to Foleshill Fire Station, the establishment now goes by the name of theNew Horseshoe Bar and Grill, and along with the stunning interior make over, it will deliver a brand new grill menu.
31, the annual horseshoe league was closing its 26th season.
If you to a heart valve or intravenous drug, you need a horseshoe crab, or, specifically, you need horseshoe crab blood.