Meanings
adjectivevery like a whale (not comparable)
- humorousnot comparableslangHighly improbable; not to be believed.
'On your way to dine with Sir William Ayr, indeed! Very like a whale that, captain, but not quite so large, you understand!' the sergeant said jeeringly.
1859, Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, page 541
Origin
From an exchange between Hamlet and Polonius (discussing the shape of a cloud) in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
very like a whale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/very%20like%20a%20whale
MLA
“very like a whale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/very%20like%20a%20whale. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “very like a whale,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/very%20like%20a%20whale.
Source: very like a whale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.