so near and yet so far
Meaning: Close to something one wants but unable to reach it.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Losing the final in the last minute: so near and yet so far.”
Category: Daily Life
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 idioms — Daily Life
- cast the first stone — To be the first to condemn someone.
- steal a march on — To gain an advantage by acting before someone else.
- throw someone under the bus — To betray or blame someone to save oneself.
- take stock — To review a situation carefully before deciding what to do.
- with pomp and circumstance — With great ceremony and display.
- reinvent the wheel — To waste effort creating something that already exists.
More English idioms
- jam tomorrow — A promise of good things in the future that never arrive.
- a rolling stone gathers no moss — Someone who keeps moving never settles or accumulates anything; sometimes also, keeping a…
- little strokes fell great oaks — Small, steady efforts achieve great results.
- 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.
From our proverbs
- He teacheth ill who teacheth all. — Overwhelming learners with everything prevents them from mastering anything truly valuabl…
- Nothing dries up sooner than tears. — Grief, however overwhelming, naturally fades with time as emotions settle and healing beg…
- A man may dig his grave with his teeth. — Indulgence in food and drink ultimately destroys one's health and shortens one's lifespan.