a whale of a

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a whale of a (something)

1. An exceptionally great or excellent. I had a whale of a time at Pete's wedding—I danced all night long! Come out to our party this weekend, it's sure to be a whale of a good time! Gee, Samantha, I sure had a whale of a night with you at the dance. We should go out again sometime!

2. An exceptionally large. Remodeling the kitchen will make a whale of a difference in the selling price of the home. I really think we should play the lottery—it's a whale of a jackpot this week! That's a whale of a leak you've got there, so a fix won't come cheap.

a whale of a —

an extremely good example of a particular thing. informal

1993 Chicago Tribune This stuffed-shirt epitome of the East Coast Establishment of his day had a whale of a time at Chicago's World's Fair.