by a long chalk

Meanings

prepositional phrase

alternative obsolete by long chalks

AustraliaUKidiomaticinformalTo a great extent; by far.
The world's a stage, they say; but the show ain't always amusing, by a long chalk, and sometimes I wish I didn't have a reserved seat.
1906, Edith Van Dyne [pseudonym: Lyman Frank Baum], “The Other Niece”, in Aunt Jane’s Nieces, Chicago, Ill.: The Reilly & Britton Co., →OCLC, page 153
4 more examples
[A]s regards the body of water discharged, the absolute payments made into the sea's exchequer, and the majesty of column riding downwards from the Himalaya, I believe that, since Sir Alexander Burnes's measurements, the Indus ranks foremost by a long chalk.
1854, Thomas De Quincey, “System of the Heavens as Revealed by Lord Rosse’s Telescopes”, in Miscellanies: Chiefly Narrative (De Quincey’s Works; III), London: James Hogg & Sons, →OCLC, footnote *, page 171
Bowring was a man of few words; he said, "Blaze away, my boy." And I tried to. But it was no use; I had got out of the style; my writing was too literary by a long chalk.
1891, George Gissing, “The Lonely Man”, in New Grub Street […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, pages 82–83
"My boy, remember you're taking your life in your hands," said Mrs. Morel. "Nothing is as bad as a marriage that's a hopeless failure. Mine was bad enough, God knows, and ought to teach you something; but it might have been worse by a long chalk."
1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Death in the Family”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC, part I, page 132
He [Mohamed Salah] is, by a long chalk, the world's favourite living Egyptian, and [has] been heralded as a role model in his adopted city of Liverpool.
2021 October 25, Magdy Samaan, “Mohamed Salah added to school curriculum in Egypt”, in The Times, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Nov 2021
Synonyms: by chalks, by far § Synonyms