[IDIOMS] IT COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG

One famous expression used in Brazil is that one about the cost of things, especially when we are talking about something very expensive. In English there are very similar idioms. When something costs a lot of money, we say that IT COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG. If I can remember well, in Brazil people say “Isso custa os olhos da cara” to refer to ‘It costs an arm and a leg’.

The idea here is pretty obvious: GIVING UP AN ARM AND A LEG TO BUY OR PAY FOR SOMETHING IS CLEARLY TOO COSTLY.

There are of course other ways of saying that in English – you can even use verbs such as PAY, CHARGE, and SPEND instead of COST.

EXAMPLES:

College tuitions cost an arm and leg nowadays.

I'm sick of paying rent in this town because it costs an arm and a leg!  

It cost us an arm and a leg to get here. But it has been worth every penny and more.

This suit cost me an arm and a leg.

I'd really like to have a new farm house, but it may cost me an arm and a leg.  

"How much would you pay for luxurious farmhouse by the beach? An arm and a leg?"

He really wants to go to that event. He's willing to pay an arm and a leg for it.

If you can read and Portuguese, I would like to suggest you more about both the origin and meaning of Custar os olhos da cara. According to the website significados (English: meanings), Custar os olhos da cara “é uma expressão popular que significa custar muito caro, ter um preço muito alto, preço acima da média esperada.”  You can learn more about its origin here: (custar os olhos da cara)

REFERENCES

cost an arm and a leg. (n.d.) Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. (2015). Retrieved June 26 2020 from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cost+an+arm+and+a+leg

Modern Slang – Easy Way, de Jack Scholes, Disal Editora, 2005.

Significado de Custar os olhos da cara: (click here)   

theidioms.com

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