raft

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.
See also: of, raft

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!
See also: George, raft
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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.
See also: of, raft, whole
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

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.
See also: of, raft
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a (whole) raft of (something)
  • a raft of
  • a whole raft of
  • host
  • a (whole) host of (something)
  • water under the bridge
  • be water under the bridge
  • whole
  • never whistle before you are out of the woods
  • don't whistle till you are out of the woods
References in periodicals archive
Hop in our raft and find out more about life on the Dunajec in this week's episode.
Dreaming of rafting down the Mississippi? Let's start in Slovakia
Around 35 rafts are expected to start from near the Meadows from 10.30am and travel down to the weir and back.
Hard work in preparation for raft race
"We're extremely pleased to have Rybrook Shrewsbury on board again this year," said Phil Gittins, Shrewsbury River Festival's raft race organiser.
River festival on crest of a wave
An official for the Department of Homeland Security said that while some struggled to stay afloat and hug the overturned raft, others were swept downriver by the currents.
Raft Carrying Immigrants Capsizes; Three Missing And One Dead
RAFT is taking place across venues in the Rhondda and showcases local talent as well as bringing in exciting and creative shows, acts, exhibitions and talks.
Open air films will be part of arts festival
Date: Former cornet David Bell, who organised the race for many years, said: "We are delighted that the Annan Harbour Trust has stepped forward and the raft race will go ahead in conjunction with AROM.
Race saved; Popular event
In "Rafts and Other Rivercraft in Huckleberry Finn" Professor Beidler gives what will almost certainly be the last word on the vexed question of whether the lengthy "raft episode" (which was removed at the publisher's suggestion from the novel when originally published), should be restored to its original place.
Rafts and Other Rivercraft in Huckleberry Finn Peter G. Beidler
To clarify the complicated behaviours of the disconnected piled raft, understanding the observed data under seismic and lateral loading is crucial.
Horizontal Loading Tests on Disconnected Piled Rafts and a Simplified Method to Evaluate the Horizontal Bearing Capacity
Beyond mobility, the use of power flow in the problem of floating raft system is very valuable because it combines both force and velocity in a single quantity.
Dynamic Modeling and Characteristic Analysis of Floating Raft System with Attached Pipes
But Sam Nicholson from the group, said he was looking forward to spending time on the raft with his pals.
Life raft challenge is fund-raiser
The volunteers from across the company, including managing director Stuart Cameron, will enter the Life Raft at 5:00pm and will remain inside until 5.00pm on Saturday.
Offshore workers prepare for gruelling 24-hour challenge in North Sea survival life raft; The twelve volunteers from Maersk Training in Newcastle will begin the challenge off the coast of Tynemouth on Friday
The first raft to cross the finish line was the SS Sunwade, with the "best of the rest" award given to The Pub.
RAFT RUN PROVES A SPLASH HIT
While the Lochsa season typically runs between April and mid-July, lower than average snow pack this year means the best time to raft the Lochsa is in May and June.
Lochsa River Kicks Off the Northwest's 2015 Rafting Season
PARTICIPA P NTS in this year's Wellesbourne and Shakespeare Lions clubs' raft race are looking to raise more than PS10,000 for a good cause.
Raft race aims to raise PS10k for Young Persons Hub
Reversible additional-fragmental chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was used to synthesize RAFT-polystyrene (RAFT-PS), and initiator-transfer agent-terminator (Iniferter) polymerization was used to synthesize Iniferter-polystyrene (Iniferter-PS), which were two kinds of different macroinitiators.
The effect of photoinitiator concentration and structures of RAFT macroinitiators on the memory effect of polymer dispersed liquid crystals