whale of a time

1. 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]

Example Sentences

"We only come up for the day to use it, we used to come as a family, it's lovely up here, we would always have a whale of a time," she said.

From BBC

"If you look at my page, it looks like I'm having a whale of a time," Caity says.

From BBC

He said he had a "whale of a time" growing up despite having little money, living in a local community which "looked after each other".

From BBC

Broadcaster Rev Richard Coles told BBC Breakfast he had a "whale of a time" when he took part in the show in 2017, but that he wasn't surprised by the current furore.

From BBC

He explains why it was actually a whale of a time.

From Slate