by a long chalk

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

by a long chalk

/ˌbaɪ‿ə ˌlɒŋ ˈt͡ʃɔːk/ UK
/ˌbaɪ‿ə ˌlɔŋ ˈt͡ʃɔk/ US

Rhymes with -ɔːk

Where it comes from

A reference to the practice of writing the scores of games on boards using chalk.

phrase by long chalks

Australia, UK, idiomatic, informal To a great extent; by far. [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.
Similar: by chalks, by far § Synonyms

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"by a long chalk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/by%20a%20long%20chalk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

by a long chalk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/by%20a%20long%20chalk

Chicago

"by a long chalk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/by%20a%20long%20chalk.

BibTeX

@misc{by_a_long_chalk_2026,
  title = {by a long chalk},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/by%20a%20long%20chalk},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}