Meaning of Idiom – Is ‘Not Even an Inch’ Correct?

idiomsmeaningphrases

I found the idiom "not move/budge/change an inch" used when talking about something that won't change as someone's stubborn opinion.

Example from Cambridge Dictionary:

She's definite that she wants to do it, and she'll not give
an inch, however hard you try to persuade her.

I want to use it for this dialogue:

  • So, you haven't changed your mind, have you?
  • Not even an inch.

I'm not sure of the phrase. But I want it to mean as the idiom above. I didn't use the idiom instead as I don't find it makes a good fit in the sentence with its current construction.

Thus, is the phrase (not even an inch) correct and deliver the meaning I mentioned above? If not, how to achieve the meaning by using the idiom, if possible?

Best Answer

This conversation would work:

So, you haven't changed your mind?
--No, I haven't moved | budged | retreated an inch.

You need some verb relating to physical space in order to use an inch idiomatically. That verb could appear in the question or in the answer.

There's no way I can get you to come a little closer to our way of thinking?
-- Not an inch.

For example, this would not be idiomatic:

I hadn't seen her for thirty years. What was amazing, she hadn't changed an inch.

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