Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[www0935]

The following is my question:

From Fillmore to Garfield, these American presidents were distinctly middle class. These men often retired without the money to support themselves in a fashion anywhere close to the one they had as president.

Could someone paraphrase for me "support themselves in a fashion anywhere close to the one they had as president"?

And what does "anywhere close to" mean here?

Thanks a lot.

[redset]

Not anywhere close is a way of comparing two things and saying they're not similar, not even close to being similar - they're actually very different! You tend to mostly see it used negatively or in questions. Another way of looking at it is the game where you hide something in a room, and the other person tries to find it. They ask 'am I getting close?' - if they're in completely the wrong place, you can say 'you're not even close!' It implies they're not just incorrect, they're completely and totally wrong.

Your sentence is basically saying that those Presidents were not wealthy people, so when they retired they were unable to afford the same lifestyle they had as President. Supporting themselves means paying for their life - house, food, spending money etc., the things people need. If you have enough money you can support yourself in a more luxurious fashion - in a way that gives you nice things, a big house, maybe lots of free time etc. So the lifestyle they could afford as ordinary middle-class people wasn't anywhere close to the presidential lifestyle they'd been enjoying.