each is 11 years younger than the last

[Uncanny]

This sentence does not make sense to me:
'Tom Cruise divorced all three of his ex-wives when they turned 33 (Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes), and each is 11 years younger than the last.'
Which one is "the last"? Katie Holmes? Then how can both Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman be 11 years younger?

 

[jutfrank]

The phrase the last means 'the previous wife'.

Katie Holmes is 11 years younger than Nicole Kidman, and Nicole Kidman is 11 years younger than Mimi Rogers.

 

[Piscean]

It's badly written.

 

[Tarheel]

You divorce your wife. You don't divorce your ex-wife. I would have said he divorced all three of his wives.

 

[Piscean]

Also asked here: https://forum.wordreference.com/thr...-younger-than-the-last.4045247/#post-20771152

 

[teechar]

@Uncanny,
In future, please do not post the same question simultaneously to more than one forum. Doing so wastes our valuable time. Instead, post your question to one forum and wait for replies. If you're not satisfied with those replies, you can try another forum, but please indicate in your thread that you've already asked the same question elsewhere (provide a link), and outline why you were not satisfied with the answers you received.