Meaning of "a devil of a time"

[Grisha]

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #70 "What the Devil", question 10

It took me ages to set up my computer because I spent the devil of a ......... trying to understand the notes.

(a) duration
(b) time
(c) length
(d) space

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #70 "What the Devil", answer 10

It took me ages to set up my computer because I spent the devil of a time trying to understand the notes.

Correct answer: (b) time

Your answer was: correct
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What does "a devil of a time" mean?

Thank you
Grisha

[Alan]

Hi Grisha,

This expression means that you had a very difficult time and spent a long time trying to understand what the notes meant because they were very complicated.

A
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Phrasal Verbs/go