an arm and a leg
(Redirected from cost an arm and a leg)
English
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Noun
editan arm and a leg (plural arms and legs)
- (idiomatic, hyperbolic) Usually used after the verb cost, but also often charge, pay, and spend: a very high price for an item or service; an exorbitant price
- Synonym: pretty penny (cost a pretty penny)
- 1954, Commentary, volume 18, American Jewish Committee, page 448:
- That Polack costs me an arm and a leg, he thought.
- 1960 March 29, “Slim waists prompted new sportswear line”, in The New York Times, page 44:
- Bangle bracelets in fourteen-karat gold that do not cost an arm and a leg are always in demand.
- 2008, Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 417:
- Her house was fabulous, her tits perfection – besides – the Beverly Hills Hotel was costing him an arm and a leg.
Translations
editexorbitant amount
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References
edit- “cost an arm and a leg/a small fortune”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
- “cost an arm and a leg”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.