time of it
10
8.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
mal rato
- I was trying to connect things, and I was having a hard time of it.
- a hard time of it
I hope not, and I suspect you'll have an easier time of it.
- I hope not, and I suspect you'll have an easier time of it.
- Sassy had had a rough time of it at the start.
- OK, so they have come up with this plan kind of without asking Simon, but surprise like he hasn't had a rough time of it yet.
Examples
-
He'd had a bad time of it as a youth, I understand, though he never spoke of it.
Fiction book (2000) -
But, given my chosen profession, she's had kind of a rough time of it, and I think she harbors resentment.
Fiction book (2001) -
"Heard you had a rough time of it with the FBI today."
Fiction book (1996) -
We can earn our bread somehow, even if we have a bad time of it.
Fiction book (1996) -
I've had a rough time of it, but I still believe in romance.
Fiction book (1994) -
Martens knew she would not have an easy time of it when she accepted the Smith Barney job in 1985.
Academic text (1999) -
Rosie tells me he's had a bad time of it lately.
Fiction book (1993) -
She'd had a hard time of it since my dad had left.
-
Now, I know you two aren't having an easy time of it right now.
-
The former owner, Jim Burrows, has had a rough time of it since then.
Synonyms
∞
3.1
A difficult task that tests a person's skill and will
651
2.4
A hard part of a task that needs extra effort or is not easy to understand
382
2.9
A period when someone has difficulty or trouble
134
3.1
A period when someone faces problems or a lot of stress
104
3.1
A period when people have many problems with money or daily life
4
5.3
A situation or task that is hard to do
2
6.1
A time when someone has many problems and finds life difficult
1
7.0
A difficult time that is hard to get through
1
3.9
A difficult time that is hard to get through
Antonyms
How Difficult
404
1.5
- Informal
2
6.5
- Informal
10
8.1
382
2.9
651
2.4
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
time + of + it
The core idea — 'time' as a period and 'tough time' as a difficult period — is largely inferable from the constituent meanings, so part of the MWE's sense is transparent. However, the particular phrasing 'a time of it' (as in 'have a time of it') is a somewhat fixed, colloquial construction where the role of 'of it' is idiomatic and not fully predictable, so a B1 learner may not reliably derive the exact usage without exposure.
Etymology
Time of it comes from an old idea: time meant a 'period' spent dealing with something, and it pointed to the difficult thing, showing a long, hard stretch. So, when someone says they had a time of it, they mean they had a 'hard' or 'difficult' experience.