It may take an inordinate length of time to reach me.

"Give the man a finger and he'll take a length."

"It was either that or take a length of rope in the forest and hang myself," he said.

I take a length of rope and throw it into the basket.

My question is why it had to take such an extraordinary length of time and whether there was any point to those expensive studies at all?

"Come here," he ordered, taking a length of rope from his back pocket.

She took a length of cord from her sleeve.

She took a short length of chain and two strong padlocks from the leather bag.

"It would take a reasonable length of time to play out the analysis and the understanding to incubate."

Take a length of optical fiber, say three meters, and lay it out in an absolutely straight line.