devil of a

Idioms  

1. 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

See Examples For:

devil of a

Adam Devine has had a devil of a time the last few years with doctors trying to figure out why some of his muscles have been going into almost-paralytic spasms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 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

“Well, no sir, I couldn’t, buddy, but they’s a devil of a big ’un down here in South Coal Creek.”

From Washington Post ● Jun. 23, 2016

“On the other hand, I have had a devil of a time learning the name of this school. But after Miss Lumley’s speech about poems and ferns, I believe I have it at last.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood