NEW FEATURE
Double-click
any English word
for its translation !
|
|
Your choice was right!
Definition:
b) a difficult task
German translation:
devil of a time = eine schwierige Aufgabe bzw. Lage
---
GOOGLE INDEX
devil of a time: approximately 150,000 Google hits
Sample text:
Technology entrepreneurs are having a DEVIL OF A TIME finding investors.
(Wall Street Journal)
---
The source says Google is having a DEVIL OF A TIME persuading users of free Google Apps to sign up for the paid version.
(businessinsider.com)
Did you know?
devil of a time
idiom
- something that is very trying and provoking
(Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary)
---
The expression "devil of a time" stems from the idea of comparing something with Satan (the devil), who of course exemplifies evil. For example, the old phrase "a devil of a man" was a condemnation of the worst sort. Today, "a devil of" is used in less dramatic fashion and is generally reserved for annoying tasks (I had a devil of a time programming the remote control for the TV).
Despite his evil reputation, the devil enjoys popularity when it comes to idioms as these examples of other expressions shows:
- between the devil and the deep blue sea = between two equally unacceptable choices
- full of the devil = very energetic, mischievous, daring or clever
- give the devil his due = to give credit to a disagreeable person
- go to the devil = (1) to be unsuccessful, to fail (2) to become morally evil (3) used in the imperative to express anger or impatience
- play the devil with = to upset or ruin
- the devil take the hindmost = let each person follow self-interest, leaving others to fare as they may
- the devil to pay = trouble to be faced as a result of an action
---
SYNONYMS
a hell of a time, a heck of a time, a dickens of a time
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION
"I had a devil of a time trying to get to the office on time this morning. Traffic was terrible!"
And now...
Today's Learning Tip (13):
CONTEXT IS THE CLUE
Write out the context sentence on a small card, but leave a BLANK for the new word. Check yourself in spare moments by reading the sentence and remembering the missing word (TIP: if the word is particularly difficult, write the first four or five letters in the blank space lightly in pencil
more learning tips
Building your English day by day...
Let others enjoy One-Word-A-Day too!
OWAD is a free English training programme run by enthusiastic people who
support open communication and personal growth. Please do spread the word
and recommend us to a colleague or friend:
Recommend it now!
Thanks!
Paul Smith
|
|
