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heck of a

heck of a

120 8.1
Very impressive or very difficult
  • idiom
  • /hɛk əv ə/
  • Informal
: todo un
  • But today we got ourselves one heck of a treat, as you guys can tell.
  • a heck of a lot
  • one heck of a
  • a heck of a time

Now, I have a whole heck of a lot to do today.

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Examples

Synonyms

quite a
vsheck of a
∞ 3.2

A phrase that shows someone or something is very noticeable and impressive

is informal and usually carries a stronger, more emphatic force
incredible
vsheck of a
∞ 3.5

Very surprising or hard to believe

is casual, focusing on impressiveness rather than disbelief
awesome
vsheck of a
∞ 2.1

Very impressive and causing a strong feeling of wonder

is informal emphasis that focuses on extremeness rather than awe alone
some
vsheck of a
  • Informal
∞ 6.8

Very impressive in a way that surprises people

is similar but often signals a stronger degree of impressiveness
insane
vsheck of a
  • Slang
159 7.9

Very impressive and exciting, like a great show

is informal too but is less slangy and shocking in tone
quite an
vsheck of a
139 3.5

To show that something is very surprising or impressive

is more informal and often stronger than this moderate emphasis
one hell of a
vsheck of a
  • NSFW
136 9.0

A very impressive or powerful example of something

uses informal emphasis rather than stressing a single extreme example
phenomenal
vsheck of a
136 5.4

Very impressive and much better than normal

is informal emphasis that stresses extreme impressiveness rather than neutral praise
staggering
vsheck of a
97 5.3

Very large and surprising in a way that shocks you

is informal praise that highlights impressiveness without implying shock
out of this world
vsheck of a
  • Informal
27 4.1

Very good and impressive

is informal emphasis but typically less fantastical in tone
helluva
vsheck of a
  • Informal
24 9.9

An informal way to say something is very impressive or large to show strong feeling

is informal but less forceful in its emphasis
beaut
vsheck of a
  • Australian
20 8.8

A very impressive example of something, like a car or goal

is informal emphasis but usually applies more broadly than single examples
stupendous
vsheck of a
20 6.7

Very large or impressive in a way that amazes people

is informal emphasis more about impact than sheer size
hella
vsheck of a
  • Slang
15 9.9

A word people use to mean very

is informal but highlights strong impression rather than serving purely as an adverb
super-duper
vsheck of a
  • Informal
11 7.9

Very good and impressive

is informal but more adult sounding and less childlike in tone
hellacious
vsheck of a
  • Informal
5 8.6

Very impressive or exciting in a strong way

is informal too but often carries milder emphasis
absolutely awesome
vsheck of a
  • Informal
3 2.8

Very impressive and exciting

is informal emphasis without necessarily adding certainty or absoluteness
fabulous
vsheck of a
3 4.2

So surprising that it seems hard to believe

is informal strong praise without implying near disbelief
simply phenomenal
vsheck of a
1 5.5

Very impressive and much better than you expect

is informal and casual rather than formal rhetorical praise
goddamndest
vsheck of a
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Very surprising and impressive and said in a rude way

is informal admiration that lacks the same shocking emotional force
motherfreaking amazing
vsheck of a
  • NSFW
9.9

Very impressive and surprising in a strong informal way

is informal praise too but is usually milder and less coarse
whangdoodle of a performance
vsheck of a
  • Archaic
9.9

A very impressive, exciting performance that people remember

is a general informal emphasis, not limited to performances

Antonyms

681 1.0

Normal and not special or unusual

9 3.9

Not very good or likely to attract attention

How Impressive

heck of a
  • Informal
120 8.1
real
  • Informal
∞ 7.9

Surface Forms

heck of a positive

Morphology

heck + of + a

The meaning is partly recoverable because 'heck' functions as a euphemistic intensifier (similar to 'hell' in 'a hell of a...'), so a learner who knows 'heck' could infer emphasis. However, the fixed determiner+of+a pattern ('a heck of a') and its use as an adjectival intensifier is idiomatic and not fully predictable from the separate words alone.

Etymology

Heck of a may come from a softer form of the stronger word 'hell', where people used heck instead to avoid rudeness but keep the force. That's why calling something a heck of a show or job gives the idea of something 'very impressive' or 'extreme'.