whale of a time
A very enjoyable experience, as in We had a whale of a time in Puerto Rico. This idiom alludes to the largest mammal to describe something very large and impressive. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
RELATED CONTENT
It’s A New Cockcrow, Time To Take The Word Of The Day Quiz!There’s no benevolence here . . . you’ll need real skill to ace this Word of the Day Quiz! Tell us your favorite word from this week below (and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter)! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser. Improve your vocabulary with our Visual Word of the Day videos. See this week’s here.
Nearby words
whakairo, whakapapa, whale, whale away, whale catcher, whale of a time, whale oil, whale shark, whaleback, whaleboat, whalebone
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.