Meaning
Be extremely expensive.
Primary Function
Expressing high cost.
Communicative Purpose
To emphasise unaffordability.
Pattern
cost an arm and a leg
Core Structure
cost an arm and a leg
Função primária
Expressing high cost.
Propósito comunicativo
To emphasise unaffordability.
Situações de gatilho
Discussing purchases, bills, quotations.
Contextos
Shopping, travel, services.
Padrão
cost an arm and a leg
Estrutura central
cost an arm and a leg
Slots de substituição
none
Colocados típicos
- would
- must
- nearly
Substituições comuns
- cost a fortune
- cost the earth
Erros comuns
*cost an arm and leg* (needs two articles)
Similar / contraste
pay through the nose (for a service)
Interferências
Don’t use in formal financial reports.
Família do chunk
- Cost exaggeration idioms
Nuance
Hyperbolic, emotional.
Efeito pragmático
Shows speaker’s shock or complaint.
Dica de memória
Losing limbs as payment.
Nota
This idiom is typically used in informal contexts to express that something is very expensive, often with a tone of complaint or exasperation.
Upgrade path
prohibitively expensive (formal)
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