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Glite Dictionary
to have a time of it

to have a time of it

8.2
Find it very difficult to do something
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : tener dificultades
  • If you want to succeed in that sport, you'll have a time of it without proper training.

Examples

  • She really had a time of it trying to find parking in the crowded city.

  • "You must have had a time of it.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • "You've had a time of it, eh?" Helping the younger man to his feet, Rayburton added, "The thing for you now is rest, and maybe a surgeon's attention."

    Fiction book (1992)

  • He is having a time of it adjusting to his new job responsibilities.

Synonyms

to have a hard time
vsto have a time of it
241 3.7

Find something difficult to do

is about considerable trouble specifically in doing something
rough time of it
vsto have a time of it
  • Informal
2 6.5

A period when someone has many problems

is about significant trouble in doing something rather than extended hardship
bad time of it
vsto have a time of it
1 6.1

A time when someone has trouble

is about trouble while doing something rather than general unpleasantness
poor time of it
vsto have a time of it
  • UK
7.5

A period when someone has many problems and feels unhappy

is about trouble when performing tasks rather than general hardship
thin time of it
vsto have a time of it
  • UK
9.2

A period when someone has many problems

is focused on notable trouble while acting, not just a general hard period

How Difficult

to flounder
26 6.6
to struggle
851 2.8
to have a time of it
  • UK
8.2
to manage
∞ 3.2

Surface Forms

have a time of it infinitive
had a time of it past
had a time of it past participle
having a time of it present participle
has a time of it third person singular

Morphology

have + a + time + of + it

The parts 'have' (to experience) and 'time' (a period or experience) give a partial clue that the phrase refers to undergoing some kind of experience, but the specific sense 'experience considerable difficulty' is idiomatic and not directly predictable from the literal words. Because the negative, troublesome meaning depends on conventional usage rather than straightforward composition, it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

The idiom have a time of it comes from the image of someone forced to go through a hard time, like being stuck in a storm or trying to free a car from deep snow. One popular story says people used 'time' to mean a bad spell, so to have a time of it came to mean 'to experience considerable difficulty'.