I don't see how anyone by any stretch of the imagination could fail to understand what my last sentence meant.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
by any stretch of the imagination — (not) by any stretch of the imagination if you say that by no stretch of the imagination can you describe something or someone in a particular way, you mean that this way of describing them is certainly not correct. She was never a great player,… … New idioms dictionary
not by any stretch of the imagination — not by any/by no/stretch of the imagination phrase used for saying that you think something cannot be true or possible no matter how hard you try to imagine it It’s not a great work of cinema by any stretch of the imagination. Thesaurus: ways of… … Useful english dictionary
not by any stretch of the imagination — not by any stretch (of the imagination) even if you try, it is still difficult to accept. She was never a great player, not by any stretch of the imagination. He s nice looking but by no stretch of the imagination could you describe him as… … New idioms dictionary
not by any stretch of the imagination — (not) by any stretch of the imagination if you say that by no stretch of the imagination can you describe something or someone in a particular way, you mean that this way of describing them is certainly not correct. She was never a great player,… … New idioms dictionary
not by any stretch of the imagination — not adding to the story, not stretching it Gigi wasn t his only girl, not by any stretch of the imagination … English idioms
by no stretch of the imagination — not by any/by no/stretch of the imagination phrase used for saying that you think something cannot be true or possible no matter how hard you try to imagine it It’s not a great work of cinema by any stretch of the imagination. Thesaurus: ways of… … Useful english dictionary
by any/no stretch of the imagination — see ↑stretch, 2 • • • Main Entry: ↑imagination by any/no stretch of the imagination used to emphasize that something is not true, does not happen, etc. They re not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. [=they re not wealthy at all] By no… … Useful english dictionary
not by any stretch — (of the imagination) even if you try, it is still difficult to accept. She was never a great player, not by any stretch of the imagination. He s nice looking but by no stretch of the imagination could you describe him as handsome. Our survey was… … New idioms dictionary
by any stretch... — See not by any stretch of the imagination … English idioms
imagination — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ great ▪ active, creative, fertile, lively, rich, strong, vivid ▪ fevered … Collocations dictionary
stretch — stretch1 W3S3 [stretʃ] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(make something bigger/looser)¦ 2¦(body)¦ 3¦(reach)¦ 4¦(make something tight)¦ 5¦(time/series)¦ 6¦(in space)¦ 7 stretch your legs 8 stretch (somebody s) patience/credulity 9¦(rule/limit)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
