best part of something

best part of something idiom
Nearly all of something, the majority, as in The dentist was late; I waited for the best part of an hour. The adjective best here does not concern quality but quantity. [First half of 1500s] Also see better half, def. 1.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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