dirt-cheap

[ durt-cheep ]

adjective

1. very inexpensive:

   The house may need a lot of work, but it was dirt-cheap.

adverb

1. cheaply:

   They got it dirt-cheap.

dirt-cheap

adjective

1. informal.
   at an extremely low price

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirt-cheap¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Idioms and Phrases

Very inexpensive, as in Their house was a real bargain, dirt cheap . Although the idea dates back to ancient times, the precise expression, literally meaning “as cheap as dirt,” replaced the now obsolete dog cheap . [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

And unlike most doctors, these maggots are dirt-cheap and willing to die for your wound.

From Slate

Still, there are no guarantees that they will be able to compete with the dirt-cheap yards of South Asia.

From BBC

Many airlines, especially discount carriers, quote a dirt-cheap base fare.

From Seattle Times

In 1992, Russian troops helped people here beat back nationalists from next-door Moldova and establish the region as a sort of Rhode Island-sized Russia, run by pro-Moscow Russian speakers, defended by a Russia-funded army and security services, and kept afloat economically by a Russia-style currency and dirt-cheap Russian gas — all of this some 400 miles from the nearest Russian border.

From Los Angeles Times

The theory was that dirt-cheap money would encourage a modest rise in inflation that would stimulate corporate profits.

From New York Times

Related Words

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