We had a devil of a time trying to fix the broken machine.
a devil of a problem
Frequency:
70
%
She faced a devil of a problem when her car broke down in the middle of nowhere.
a devil of a job
Frequency:
65
%
It was a devil of a job to clean up the messy room.
Idiomatic Expressions for a devil of
Phrase: a devil of a mess
Meaning: a situation that is extremely chaotic or disorganized
Usage: The party ended in a devil of a mess with broken dishes everywhere.