a devil of a time

a devil of a time

A difficult or frustrating time; much difficulty. I'm having a devil of a time getting this window open—I think it has been painted shut. We had a devil of a time convincing Grandpa to go to the doctor for that bad cough.
See also: devil, of, time
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

devil of a time

 and the devil's own time
a very difficult time. I had a devil of a time with my taxes. This cold has been giving me a devil of a time. Fixing the car seemed easy, but I had the devil's own time doing it.
See also: devil, of, time
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

devil of a

Also, one devil or the devil of a ; hell of a. Infernally annoying or difficult, as in This is a devil of an assembly job, or She had one devil of a time getting through the traffic, or I had a hell of a morning sitting in that doctor's office. The first expression dates from the mid-1700s. The variant is a couple of decades newer and its precise meaning depends on the context. For example, We had a hell of a time getting here invariably means we had a very difficult or annoying time, but He is one hell of a driver could mean that he is either very good or very bad (see hell of a, def. 2).
See also: devil, of
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a (or the) devil of a —

something very large or bad of its kind. informal
1919 Katherine Mansfield Letter We had the devil of a great storm last night, lasting for hours, thunder, lightning, rain & I had appalling nightmares!
See also: devil, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a devil of a time

and the devil of a time
n. a very difficult time. I had a devil of a time with my taxes.
See also: devil, of, time
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • devil of a
  • devil of a time
  • devil of a job
  • a devil of a
  • a devil of a job
  • a/the devil of a job, nuisance, fellow, etc.
  • the devil of a time
  • what (in) the devil
  • devil
  • the devil incarnate