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3. by any stretch of the imagination

by any stretch of the imagination

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by any stretch of the imagination

as much as anyone could imagine; as much as is imaginable. (Often negative.) I don't see how anyone by any stretch of the imagination could fail to understand what my last sentence meant.

See also: any, imagination, of, stretch

not by any stretch of the imagination

  also by no 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, not by any stretch of the imagination. He's pleasant looking but by no stretch of the imagination could you describe him as handsome.

See bend the rules

See also: any, imagination, of, stretch