Could you give some more example of "stretch of ~"? Or is "any stretch of imagination" considered as one expression?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
"By any stretch of the imagination" is an idiom that emphasizes something being untrue or impossible. You can use "by any stretch of the imagination" by putting it before or after a statement that is untrue or impossible. Ex: I don't know how by any stretch of the imagination someone could think the Earth is a triangle. Ex: There is no possibility I would date you by any stretch of the imagination.