Cost an arm and a leg
📖 Meanings
- 1.
Very expensive or costly
- 2.
To be overly pricey
- 3.
An exorbitant cost
- 4.
Something with a high price
💬 Examples
- 1.
The designer dress she wanted cost an arm and a leg.
- 2.
The car repairs cost an arm and a leg.
- 3.
Eating out every night can cost an arm and a leg.
- 4.
The vacation he planned would cost an arm and a leg.
🗞️ Etymology
- 1.
The phrase was first recorded in a 1949 newspaper, The Long Beach Independent.
- 2.
The phrase may be associated with the high cost of prosthetic limbs in the past.
- 3.
Some theories suggest an association with the imagery of giving up an arm and a leg in battle, signifying a high cost or sacrifice.
- 4.
The phrase became popular in the United States during the 1950s.
🔁 Synonyms
- 1.
Pay through the nose
- 2.
Break the bank
- 3.
Cost a pretty penny
- 4.
Cost the earth
- 5.
Pay a king's ransom
🌀 Variants
- 1.
Costs an arm and a leg
- 2.
Cost me an arm and a leg
- 3.
Cost you an arm and a leg
- 4.
Cost him an arm and a leg
- 5.
Cost us an arm and a leg