nothing short of

nothing short of idiom
The equivalent of, the same as, as in His accusation is nothing short of slander. This term is slightly stronger than little short of, meaning “almost the same as,” as in Her claim is little short of stupid. The first term dates from about 1800, the second from about 1830. Also see short of.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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