arm and a leg

Idioms and Phrases

An exorbitant amount of money, as in These resort hotels charge an arm and a leg for a decent meal , or Fixing the car is going to cost an arm and a leg . According to Eric Partridge, this hyperbolic idiom, which is always used in conjunction with verbs such as “cost,” “charge,” or “pay,” and became widely known from the 1930s on, probably came from the 19th-century American criminal slang phrase, if it takes a leg (that is, even at the cost of a leg), to express desperate determination.

Example Sentences

He already suspects that “the fancy new computer system that they’ve spent an arm and a leg on” is at fault, and has refused to endorse its figures.

From Los Angeles Times

Police later discovered another arm and a leg.

From Seattle Times

Her father called 911 and police later discovered another arm and a leg.

From Seattle Times

Police searchers later discovered another arm and a leg nearby.

From Seattle Times

Councillor David Romney said he was wary of taking on the responsibility, saying it could end up costing Oakham "an arm and a leg".

From BBC

Related Words

• amount
• charge
• damage
• expenditure
• figure
• outlay
• payment
• price
• price tag
• rate
• tariff
• value
• worth