Whale of a time

A great time, a greatly enjoyable time, where the word whale is used as an intensifier describing something on a very large , great scale, with the obvious allusion to a whale, the biggest mammal on the planet. The expression originated in America in the late 19th century and at that time there were usages like 'a whale of a football player' meaning a great football player etc. However, these usages are seldom seen or heard these days.