a (whole) raft of (something)

A very large number or collection of people or things. We had a whole raft of problems on opening night, but I think most of the issues have been resolved. While the film has been receiving positive reviews from critics, there's a raft of fans who are upset with the way it turned out. The beta testers have reported a whole raft of issues with this latest software update.

George Raft

slang A draft of air. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "George Raft" rhymes with "draft." (George Raft was a US actor in the 1930s.) Primarily heard in UK. Can we switch seats? There's a George Raft over here, and I'm freezing! A: "In an old house like this, you'd be lucky to find a room that didn't have a George Raft in it!" B: "Ah, so that's why the house is freezing." Can we put something up against the bottom of the door? There's seems to be a George Raft getting through.

a whole raft of

COMMON A whole raft of people or things is a large number of them. This is likely to affect a whole raft of consumer industries. Under Lord Cornwallis, a whole raft of legislation was brought in.

a (whole) raft of —

a large collection of something.

Raft here is an alteration of a dialect word raff , meaning ‘a great quantity’.

1998 Housing Agenda Since the election of Labour last May, the social inclusion agenda has come to span a whole raft of Government initiatives.