an arm and a leg en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(excessive, idiomatic) 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
Bangle bracelets in fourteen-karat gold that do not cost an arm and a leg are always in demand.
1960 March 29, “Slim waists prompted new sportswear line”, in The New York Times, page 44:I paid an arm and a leg for those tickets.
Her house was fabulous, her tits perfection – besides – the Beverly Hills Hotel was costing him an arm and a leg.
2008, Jackie Collins, Hollywood Wives, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 417:I would have liked to have gone to the concert, but the tickets cost an arm and a leg.
That Polack costs me an arm and a leg, he thought.
1954, Commentary, volume 18, American Jewish Committee, page 448:They were hoping to have some cash left over, but the tickets cost them an arm and a leg.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| arms and legs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
pretty penny · fortune · king's ransom
Translations (29)
es riñón (exorbitant amount) · sv skjortan (exorbitant amount) · ru сто́ить це́лое состоя́ние (exorbitant amount) · fr coûter la peau du cul (exorbitant amount) · uk кругленька сума (exorbitant amount) · fi maksaa mansikoita (exorbitant amount) · de ein Germogens kosten (exorbitant amount) · nl een rib uit het lijf (exorbitant amount) · pt olho da cara (exorbitant amount) · fr coûter les yeux de la tête (exorbitant amount) · fi maksaa maltaita (exorbitant amount) · ru кру́гленькая су́мма (exorbitant amount) · nb det hvite ut av øynene (exorbitant amount) · vi giá cắt cổ (exorbitant amount) · hu borsos ár (exorbitant amount) · da det hvide ud af øjnene (exorbitant amount) · cmn 昂貴 /昂贵 (exorbitant amount) · es ojo de la cara (exorbitant amount) · ca colló de mico (exorbitant amount) · uk коштувати цілий статок (exorbitant amount) · sv kosta skjortan (exorbitant amount) · de Kopf und Kragen kosten (exorbitant amount) · pl zawrotna suma (exorbitant amount) · hu a gatyája is rámegy (exorbitant amount) · vi giá trên trời (exorbitant amount) · fr coûter la peau des fesses (exorbitant amount) · lb d'Aen aus dem Kapp kaschten. (exorbitant amount) · it occhio della testa (exorbitant amount) · cmn 天價 /天价 (exorbitant amount)