Any more than the "next guy"

Question

I don't like this any more than the next guy.He'd get ahead if he simply worked harder than the next guy.None of us are entitled to any more than the next guy.Ok, who is this NEXT GUY I've been always hearing about?Is this an idiom? a particular speech pattern?does "next guy" means "other guys"?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Yes, an idiom, 'any other person'.

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,

I agree with MrM.

However, this thread reminds me of this dialogue from an "Indiana Jones" movie.

'The next man' is just another form of the expression 'the next guy'.

Dr.Jones is Indy's father, played by Sean Connery.

They are talking about a woman they discover they have both slept with.

Indy: "It's disgraceful. You're old enough to be her fath…her Grandfather."

Dr. Jones: "I'm as human as the next man."

Indy: "I was the next man."

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Hi. Would you say the sentences akdom wrote illustrate the case of the word "than" being used as a conjunction? On the other hand, how would you know if it is not being used as a preposition?

akdom wrote:

I don't like this any more than the next guy.

He'd get ahead if he simply worked harder than the next guy.

None of us are entitled to any more than the next guy.

Could we have written them like this?

I don't like this any more than the next guy does.

He'd get ahead if he simply worked harder than the next guy did.

None of us are entitled to any more than the next guy is.

If there is a sentence like this, how could you tell if the word "than" is used as a conjunction or preposition?

He plays better than Joe/the other person.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Would you say the sentences akdom wrote illustrate the case of the word "than" being used as a conjunction? On the other hand, how would you know if it is not being used as a preposition?

akdom wrote:

I don't like this any more than the next guy.

He'd get ahead if he simply worked harder than the next guy.

None of us are entitled to any more than the next guy.

Could we have written them like this?

I don't like this any more than the next guy does.

He'd get ahead if he simply worked harder than the next guy did.

None of us are entitled to any more than the next guy is.

Yes, these 3 versions are fine.

If there is a sentence like this, how could you tell if the word "than" is used as a conjunction or preposition? My initial reactiion is 'Why do you care?'

Do you have difficulty in understanding the sentence? If you do, we can discuss it, but if you have no trouble, why bother?

If you asked a lot of, maybe even most, native speakers whether 'than' is a conjunction or a preposition in the following sentence, they'd have no idea what you were talking about.

He plays better than Joe/the other person.

Best wishes,Clive

Any more than the "next guy"

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