Copious free time

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"Copious free time" (sometimes "copious spare time") is used to indicate that a speaker has much free time in which to perform a task. It is often used sarcastically, however, to imply that the speaker really has no time in which to do it. The phrase is similar in meaning and attitude to the phrase "real soon now". It also serves to highlight the term "copious", which is not necessarily a commonly-used word.

[edit] Origin of the phrase

The phrase is attributed to Tom Lehrer, from his album An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer (1959)^[1]. In introducing the song "It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier", Lehrer explains:

At any rate, I recall this sergeant's informing me and my "roommates" of this rather deplorable fact that the Army didn't have any official–excuse me, didn't have no official–song and suggested that we work on this in our copious free time.

The Army, however, declined to adopt Lehrer's satirical song, and instead eventually reworked the old Army-oriented melody, "The Caisson Song", into "The Army Goes Rolling Along" as their official song. According to Lehrer's humorous commentary, the Army's rejection of his song was due to "blatant favoritism on the part of the judges."