Hi,

Does anyone know the origin of the expression "Close counts only in horseshoes"?

Thanks
Priya

Welcome to you, priya; I assume it came from the game of horseshoes.

Not familiar with it, but the way I always heard it, it went, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." OTOH, I grew up on military reservations. Maybe we say it differently than everyone else.

k

nope. we said it, too FF. and added atom bombs...

I guess I would have to learn the rules of the game to understand how the expression was coined.

http://www.horseshoepitching.com/rules/nhparul.shtml

Section A. Cancellation Scoring

1. In cancellation scoring, only one contestant can score in each inning.

a. Ringers - Ringers cancel each other. A ringer of one contestant shall cancel a ringer of the other contestant those shoes shall not score any points. Any uncancelled (live) ringer scores three points.

b. Shoes in Count - A shoe in count shall score one point under the following conditions:

1. If there are cancelled ringers and no live ringer, the closest shoe in count to the stake shall score one point.

2. If there are no ringers, the closest shoe in count shall score one point. If the other shoe of that same contestant is the second closest shoe in count, it shall also score one point.

3. If there is one uncancelled ringer and the other shoe of the scoring contestant is the closest shoe in count to the stake, it shall score one point (four points total).

and welcome, priya.