IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishso near and yet so far
Meaning: Close to something one wants but unable to reach it.
Example: “Losing the final in the last minute: so near and yet so far.”
Origin: Found in Tennyson's poem In Memoriam (1850), though similar phrasing is older. The myth of Tantalus, forever reaching for food and water just out of reach, expresses the same idea.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Le supplice de Tantale Literally: The torment of Tantalus
More English idioms
- jam tomorrow A promise of good things in the future that never arrive.
- have one foot in the grave To be close to death.
- the bee's knees Something or someone excellent.
- protect one's turf To defend one's area of control or responsibility against others.
- chase rainbows To pursue something unrealistic.
- a Pyrrhic victory A win that costs so much it is almost a defeat.
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