Not A Newbie, but Maybe Worth a Mention

[Doug Harris]

This is one of those constructions I've heard for many a year,
and sort of cringed at because it _so_ feels incorrect, somehow:

>From an LA Times story this morning on the high school grade
achievements of Asians vs Latinos:

"I had an Asian friend, but he didn't necessarily get _that great a
grades_."

I instinctively know what it means, but I'm not so sure how this and
other speakers 'justify' it.
Any thoughts?
dh

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