0
KatiMorton Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

What's this sentence mean?

No less a thinker than Albert Einstein pointed out that...
Does it mean that "Those who are smarter than Albert Einstein pointed out that..." or "Albert Einstein, a smart guy, pointed out that..."
I guess it's later, but can someone please explain the structure "No less a thinker than"?
  

Top answer

" Albert Einstein, a smart guy, pointed out that... " KatiMorton can someone please explain the structure "No less a thinker than"? = such a great thinker as...

— Mister Micawber

  • " Albert Einstein, a smart guy, pointed out that...
  • " KatiMorton can someone please explain the structure "No less a thinker than"?
  • = such a great thinker as...
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

8 Answers
0
"Albert Einstein, a smart guy, pointed out that..."
KatiMorton can someone please explain the structure "No less a thinker than"?
= such a great thinker as...
0
0
KatiMorton No less a thinker than Albert Einstein pointed out that...Does it mean that "Those who are smarter than Albert Einstein pointed out that..." or "Albert Einstein, a smart guy, pointed out that..."I guess it's later, but can someone please explain the structure "No less a thinker than"?
A person who has as much as (or more than) Einstein's reputation
0
0
AlpheccaStarsA person who has as much as (or more than) Einstein's reputation for being a thinker.No less (equal to or more)
My difficulty with this is that the original actually means Albert Einstein, not another person equal to him.
0
0
GPYactually means Albert Einstein, not another person equal to him.
Einstein certainly qualifies as having a reputation equal to his own.
0
0
AlpheccaStarsEinstein certainly qualifies as having a reputation equal to his own.
Yeah, but so do other people. What I am getting at is that the original is not referring to a type or class of person, it is actually referring to Einstein himself.
0
0
GPY it is actually referring to Einstein himself.
True, and it is emphasizing his reputation as a great thinker. Few people are in Einstein's class, certainly not myself!
0
0
Does the phrase "No less a thinker" have the same structure (pattern) as such + a + NP ?
0
0
Your example is a predeterminer pattern:
such a waste
half a loaf
twice the fun
double your money

But the sentence pattern is a comparative structure (which is most often seen with non-count nouns):

no less money than
no more courage than
0

Related Questions