Did I kill JFK ? Not by a long shot ... "
Lee Harvey Oswald
Liliputins. What the hell is this ?
http://www.stihi.ru/2012/08/18/5368
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by a long shot
Also found in: Thesaurus, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
long shot
n.
1. An entry, as in a horserace, with only a slight chance of winning.
2.
a. A bet made at great odds.
b. A venture that offers a great reward if successful but has very little chance of success.
3. A photograph or a movie shot in which the subject appears small or distant in relation to the rest of the image.
Idiom:
by a long shot Informal
To any extent; at all. Usually used in negative sentences: You haven't done your share of the work by a long shot.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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not by a long shot
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Financial, Encyclopedia.
Related to not by a long shot: not by a long chalk
not by a long shot
Fig. not by a great amount; not at all. Did I win the race? Not by a long shot. Not by a long shot did she complete the assignment.
See also: long, not, shot
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
not by a long shot
not at all “Do you think it's as good as her last movie?” “ No, not by a long shot.”
Usage notes: sometimes used in the form not do something by a long shot: We haven't eliminated the disease by a long shot.
See also: long, not, shot
Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003. Reproduced with permission.
not by a long shot
(informal) also not by a long chalk (old-fashioned)
something that you say when you think something is not at all true 'Do you think it's as good as her last movie?' 'No, not by a long shot.' It's not over yet, not by a long chalk, we still have a very good chance of winning.
See also: long, not, shot
Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006. Reproduced with permission.