The story
Presumably a reformation of Old English nāhwǣr nēah (literally “nowhere nigh”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
nowhere near
Today it means: Not by a large margin, not nearly, not at all. Full definition →
Today it means: Not by a large margin, not nearly, not at all. Full definition →
Presumably a reformation of Old English nāhwǣr nēah (literally “nowhere nigh”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.