devil of a

Idioms

Also,; hell of a. Infernally annoying or difficult, as in This is a devil of an assembly job, or She had one devil of a time getting through the traffic, or I had a hell of a morning sitting in that doctor's office. The first expression dates from the mid-1700s. The variant is a couple of decades newer and its precise meaning depends on the context. For example, We had a hell of a time getting here invariably means we had a very difficult or annoying time, but He is one hell of a driver could mean that he is either very good or very bad (see hell of a, def. 2).

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

devil of a

Bacon is having a devil of a good time playing him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025

"It's been a devil of a job," he claims, "to get people in the trust to simply read the report, even the summary."

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025

Dobbs had a devil of a time finding a rhythm.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2023

“Just the man I need to see. I’m having a devil of a time summarizing precisely what we stand for.”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2018

“I’m having a devil of a time setting up extra circuits in the laundry.”

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023