Almost nearly but not quite hardly

"Almost nearly but not quite hardly" is a phrase of dubious grammatical correctness that is occasionally uttered on stream when something is a near miss. A more succinct way of stating its meaning would be to take any of the four descriptors that comprise it and use them individually (almost, nearly, not quite, & hardly).

The phrase is sourced from sportscaster Barry Tompkins who used it during the broadcast of ESPN's Superdogs Superjocks in 1994, an event that was later lampooned on the show Cheap Seats where the hosts questioned whether or not it made any sense.