🗓️ Idiom: Cost an Arm and a Leg (v)
💬 Meaning
- To be extremely expensive or overpriced.
- Used to describe something that requires a large amount of money, often more than expected or reasonable.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Their new accounting software cost an arm and a leg, but it’s already saving time.
- Upgrading the office equipment will cost an arm and a leg, so we need approval.
- Hiring a top financial advisor might cost an arm and a leg, but it could be worth it.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase is believed to have originated after World War I or II, referencing the high cost of war, many soldiers literally lost limbs. Over time, it evolved into a way to describe high monetary cost.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
That designer laptop looks great, but it __________.
Answer
costs an arm and a leg
2. Choose the correct meaning of “cost an arm and a leg”:
A) To be dangerous
B) To be very expensive
C) To be hard to carry
Answer
B) To be very expensive
3. Rewrite the sentence using: Cost an Arm and a Leg
“Their vacation was extremely expensive.”
Answer
Their vacation cost an arm and a leg.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
👉 Finance and Accounting Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
