for a song

Idioms and Phrases

Very cheaply, for little money, especially for less than something is worth. For example, “I know a man ... sold a goodly manor for a song” (Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well , 3:2). This idiom alludes to the pennies given to street singers or to the small cost of sheet music. [Late 1500s]

Related Words

• cheap
• economical
• low-cost
• low-priced
• modest
• popular
• reasonable