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On his internment during WWII, P. G. Wodehouse commented:

The chief drawback is that it means your being away from home a good deal.

Striking. Because, I think, he's slightly stretching the use of the phrase. He's not away often. He's away for a long time.

But could the witticism strictly be true? Could you be away from home "a good deal" in one stretch? Or does it necessarily indicate a habit?

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  • Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Dec 26, 2022 at 22:23
  • The quote is "...a good deal" — not "...a big deal." Those don't have the same meaning.
    – Tinfoil Hat
    Commented Dec 26, 2022 at 22:26
  • Where is "often" in the quote? That's not what "a big deal" means.
    – Barmar
    Commented Dec 26, 2022 at 23:18
  • "a good deal" or "a great deal" mean "a lot". This doesn't specify whether it's a single stretch or frequent short stretches.
    – Barmar
    Commented Dec 26, 2022 at 23:20

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The definition of "good deal" in M-W is:

a considerable quantity or extent : LOT

When used to refer to time, it's not specific as to whether it's one long stretch or lots of short stretches.

However, Wodehouse does seem to be saying something sarcastic. When we say we're away from home a good deal, it implies that we also return home some of the time. When you're interned (or incarcerated), that's a somewhat permanent condition.

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