a whale of {sth}
1
used to say that something is extremely good or abundant
The origin of the idiom "a whale of something" can be traced to American English, particularly in the early to mid-20th century. It likely derives from the idea that a whale, being one of the largest creatures on Earth, symbolizes something of exceptional size or significance.It is often used in spoken language and informal writing to convey the idea of something being extraordinary or substantial.
- He caught a whale of a fish during his fishing trip; it was almost as big as him!
- She had a whale of a time at the amusement park, riding all the roller coasters.
- The company made a whale of a profit last year due to their successful marketing campaign.
- That movie was a whale of a hit, breaking box office records.
- We found a whale of a deal on this vacation package, with incredible discounts.