The idiom "costs an arm and a leg" is a common English expression used to describe something that is extremely expensive or costs an exorbitant amount of money. When you use this phrase, you are emphasizing that the price is disproportionate to the value or simply beyond a reasonable budget.
While several colorful theories exist, the most plausible origin dates back to the early 20th century, following the World Wars. It likely evolved from older expressions like "I would give my right arm for..." or the idea of an injury being a "heavy price to pay." There is a popular myth that it refers to 18th-century portrait painters charging more for paintings that included limbs, but linguists generally dismiss this as folk etymology. The phrase gained widespread popularity in American and British English after 1945.
This expression is informal to neutral. It is perfectly acceptable in casual conversation, journalism, and most business contexts to express frustration over high costs. However, it should be avoided in highly formal academic writing or legal documents.
These examples are sourced from costs an arm and a leg on Ludwig.guru.
"Part of winemaking is a little bit like art," she said, "in that if you've got a really small volume, it costs an arm and a leg, because it is a rare commodity." — nytimes.com
"Because it's an elective surgery it costs an arm and a leg — I did a lot of research into it." — theguardian.com
"Software that costs an arm and a leg to build from scratch is starting to sell for cheap–unspeakably cheap–as dot-coms come crashing down." — forbes.com
"It costs an arm and a leg (~$600) and it's very, very powerful." — techcrunch.com
"When you say something costs an arm and a leg, it is not meant literally." — huffpost.com
| Phrase | Context |
|---|---|
| break the bank | Informal; often used in the negative to mean affordable. |
| exorbitant | Formal; a professional way to describe prices that are too high. |
| pay through the nose | Informal; emphasizes the pain or reluctance of paying too much. |
| a king's ransom | Literary/Empathetic; refers to a massive, almost legendary sum of money. |
| steep | Neutral/Casual; a very common shorthand for an expensive price. |
| top dollar | Business/Informal; refers to the highest possible price for a premium item. |
| Expression | Idiomatic Meaning | Register | Avoid In |
|---|---|---|---|
| costs an arm and a leg | To be extremely expensive | Informal / Neutral | Formal academic papers |
This expression is almost exclusively used figuratively to denote a high financial price. Using it literally would imply a gruesome physical sacrifice, which is why it is usually reserved for hyperbolic descriptions of expensive goods or services.
While both refer to high prices, paying through the nose often implies a sense of being cheated or paying more than what is fair. In contrast, costs an arm and a leg simply emphasizes the high total cost, regardless of whether the price is fair or unfair.
Learners often make the mistake of using the singular 'cost an arm and a leg' even when the subject is plural, or they may substitute the specific body parts with others, such as 'a hand and a foot'. To stay natural, always keep the body parts as an arm and a leg and ensure the verb matches the subject number.
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