student asking question

What does "this close" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

" ... this close to ..." is a casual way to emphasize the speaker's willingness to do something (the verb that follows). You can understand "this" as having the same meaning as "very". In the clip, "I am this close to robbing you guys" takes on the meaning that she is very ready or tempted to rob them. This phrase is usually accompanied with a gesture of the index and thumb fingers close together, to indicate a small space and show the immediacy of the action. Ex: The exam was so hard today, I was this close to just giving up entirely.

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