By Daniel, an ESL Educator, Idiom Series Author, and a Curious Guide
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Act One: Wonder
Why do we sometimes talk about a high price as if it involves a physical sacrifice?
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Act Two: The Picture
Imagine someone in a store, browsing online, or opening an unexpected bill. They see the price. They double-check. The number stays the same.
No matter what they’re holding—a phone, a car quote, a medical bill, a tuition statement, or a repair estimate—it costs much more than they expected or think is fair. The feeling that comes next isn’t just disappointment. It’s physical. It makes them wince.
That wince is exactly why this phrase exists.
But who actually needed these words?
Not the person who doesn’t worry about the price. It’s for the one who worked hard for what they have and sees it disappear faster than they earned it, who feels the real cost not just in dollars but in the hours behind that number. Someone who looks at a price and knows, deep down, that what they’re paying isn’t just money. It’s time. Work. Sacrifice.
A young family at a car dealership, quietly adding up the numbers. A student who just totaled their first semester’s textbook costs—a homeowner reading an estimate that would use up most of last year’s savings. Someone who wants something, can afford it, but still can’t shake the notion that the price is just a lot.
That’s who needed this phrase. Someone who wanted to say “this is expensive” in a way that truly showed how expensive it felt, and realized that the usual words just weren’t strong enough.
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Act Three: History
This phrase is considered a uniquely American idiom, first appearing in print in the late 1940s and 1950s. People still debate where it came from, and the two main theories each have their own appeal.
The first theory links it to portrait painters in the 18th and 19th centuries. They charged more for complex portraits, especially those showing hands, arms, and legs, since these required more time and skill than painting just a face and shoulders. The more of the body in the painting, the higher the price. A full-length portrait with arms and legs was a luxury and cost much more.
The second theory comes from the time after World War II, when talk of loss and sacrifice was common in American life. Veterans and their families knew firsthand what it meant to lose a limb. Saying something “cost an arm and a leg” was a dark joke, using the language of real sacrifice to describe financial pain that many people understood.
No matter where it started, the phrase gets at how it really feels to pay a huge amount for something. It’s not only about something being expensive. It suggests the cost means giving up something important, something you can’t replace. The exaggeration helps people complain in a way that’s memorable but still a bit funny.
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Act Four: Why Does This Still Feel True?
The impression that something costs too much has never really gone away. The frustration of seeing hard-earned money disappear faster than it was earned is just as well-known now as it was in 1950.
Housing is now extremely expensive in once affordable cities. College tuition has been rising faster than wages for years. Healthcare, childcare, car repairs, and groceries all feel much more expensive than people earn. If anything, the list keeps growing. The phrase has more examples to describe now than ever before.
We still use this phrase when we get a bill we did not expect. We say it when a friend tells us about a purchase and the price surprises us. We use it to show that the price wasn’t merely high, but so high it makes you rethink your choices, requires real sacrifice, and makes you wince.
If this phrase disappeared tomorrow, English would still have terms such as “extremely expensive” and “break the bank.” But we would lose its physical detail—the arm, the leg, the sense of paying with your own body. That detail makes the complaint feel real, not lazy. You are not just saying something cost a lot. You are saying it cost a part of you.
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A Final Reflection
This idiom isn’t especially deep. It doesn’t come from centuries of philosophy or old traditions. At its heart, it’s just a vivid complaint, and a pretty good one.
But there’s a real point behind the humor. Money stands for our time, energy, and choices, so when something is too expensive, the real cost is more than just money. People who say something costs an arm and a leg aren’t exaggerating. They’re just being honest about what prices really mean, and using this phrase helps us laugh at how ridiculous it can feel.
That’s why this idiom has stuck around. Now, let’s see how you can use it in daily conversation.
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Now Let’s Learn It: The ESL Lesson
How It Is Used Today
“Cost an arm and a leg” describes something extremely expensive, much more than you would expect or think is reasonable. People often use this phrase with humor, a bit of complaint, or real surprise. You’ll hear it in conversations about shopping, travel, housing, medical bills, education, or any big purchase.
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Common mistake: Learners sometimes use this phrase to talk about things that are a bit expensive or just over their budget. However, the idiom is best for prices that are much higher than expected, such as when something feels truly shocking or would require a big sacrifice. If you use it for something only a little expensive, native speakers might think you are exaggerating.
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Formal vs. informal: This phrase is informal. It sounds natural in everyday conversation, casual writing, and relaxed professional settings. In formal writing, you would probably use phrases such as “the cost was prohibitively high” or “the expense exceeded reasonable expectations.” Still, “cost an arm and a leg” can appear in semi-formal contexts such as journalism, product reviews, or personal essays when a warmer, more expressive tone works better.
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Dialogue Example
Lena: I just bought a new laptop.
Mateo: Nice, but those things cost an arm and a leg.
Lena: I know. It’s a big expense.
Mateo: Just make sure it’s worth it.
Lena: It should last me years.
Mateo: Then it’s probably okay.
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Synonyms & Related Expressions
- Break the bank. This means something costs more than you can easily afford, or it takes up most of your money. “She wanted to renovate the kitchen, but the estimates she got would have broken the bank, so she started with just the countertops.”
- A fortune. This means a very large amount of money, used when something is unexpectedly expensive. “He spent a fortune on the wedding and spent the next two years paying it off.”
- Extremely pricey. This is a simple, slightly more formal way to say that something is very expensive. “The restaurant was extremely pricey for what it was: nice atmosphere, small portions, and a bill that made everyone at the table go quiet.”
- Wallet buster. This slang term means something is so expensive it can really hurt your finances. “International data roaming is a real wallet buster if you forget to set up a travel plan before you leave.”
- Cripple a wallet. This informal phrase describes a purchase or expense so big that it leaves you with much less money. “One weekend in that hotel could cripple a wallet: beautiful property, absolutely unreasonable prices.”
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Common Real-Life Situations
- When someone buys a pricey car, phone, or gadget. “She finally replaced her seven-year-old phone, but the new model cost an arm and a leg. She’s still paying it off in installments.”
- When a student or family talks about expensive college tuition or textbooks. “He looked at his textbook list for the semester and laughed. Four books cost an arm and a leg, and he’d probably use only two of them.”
- When a family talks about the cost of a vacation, home repairs, or a big purchase. “The plumber came, checked the pipes for ten minutes, and gave them an estimate that cost an arm and a leg. They decided to get a second opinion.”
- When someone talks about a luxury item or a very expensive restaurant. “The café had beautiful food and a great view, but the prices cost an arm and a leg. They split one dessert and called it lunch.”
- When someone jokes about getting a big bill or spending a lot. “Between the car registration, the dental work, and the roof repair, this month practically cost an arm and a leg. I’m telling you, it builds character.”
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Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Complete the Sentences
- “How was the hotel?” “Beautiful — but it costs ________ ________ ________ ________ ________. I won’t be going back anytime soon.”
- He wanted to take his family on a ski vacation, but the lift tickets alone ________ an arm and ________ ________.
- “Did you end up buying the jacket?” “No — it ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________. I’ll wait for the sale.”
- The repairs to the roof costs ________ ________ and ________ ________, but the alternative was worse, so they paid it.
- “Good coffee, though.” “Good coffee that ________ an arm and a leg.”
Answers:
- an arm and a leg
- cost/a leg
- cost an arm and a leg
- an arm/a leg
- costs
Exercise 2: Multiple-Choice Questions
- “Cost an arm and a leg” is most accurately used to describe:
a) Something that is slightly more expensive than expected but still within a reasonable budget
b) Something extremely expensive, to a degree that feels like a significant sacrifice
c) Something free or available at a heavy discount
d) Something that was expensive in the past but has now become more affordable - Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
a) “The coffee cost an arm and a leg — it was two dollars more than usual.”
b) “The parking ticket cost an arm and a leg because she forgot to add time to the meter.”
c) “It cost an arm and a leg to find a good sale on those shoes.”
d) “The surgery, the recovery, and the follow-up visits cost an arm and a leg — they were still managing the bills two years later.” - The phrase “cost an arm and a leg” most likely originated from:
a) Ancient Roman tax law, in which penalties were described in bodily terms
b) A British naval tradition of paying sailors by the limb for injuries sustained at sea
c) American English of the mid-20th century, possibly connected to portrait painting prices or post-war language about sacrifice
d) A phrase from a well-known American novel that described the cost of the frontier lifestyle - Which situation best illustrates the idiom?
a) A family that discovers the estimate for repairing their home’s foundation is three times what they had saved for it
b) A student who buys a used textbook for five dollars less than the list price
c) A shopper who finds a designer item on sale for thirty percent off
d) A traveler who books a flight well in advance and gets a good deal
Answers:
- b
- d
- c
- a
Exercise 3: Error Correction
- “That vacation cost an arm and the leg.” (fix the article)
- “This apartment costs an arms and a leg to rent.” (fix the plural)
- “It costed an arm and a leg to fix the car.” (fix the irregular past tense)
- “Those tickets will cost arm and a leg.” (add the missing article)
- “The dinner cost an arm and leg — no article was cheap.” (add the missing article and fix the second clause)
Answers:
- “That vacation cost an arm and a leg.”
- “This apartment costs an arm and a leg to rent.”
- “It cost an arm and a leg to fix the car.”
- “Those tickets will cost an arm and a leg.”
- “The dinner cost an arm and a leg — nothing on the menu was cheap.”
Exercise 4: Fill in the Blanks with Context
- “How was the repair bill?” “It ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ — I had to dip into savings just to cover it.”
- She loved the coat but put it back on the rack when she saw the price tag. It ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ and she wasn’t prepared for that.
- “I heard you’re renovating the kitchen.” “Yes, and it’s going to ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________. But we’ve been putting it off for ten years.”
- International travel ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ these days — between flights, accommodation, and food, it adds up faster than you expect.
- “Did you get the new gaming console?” “I did — it ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________, but honestly, I’ve used it every day since.”
Answers:
- cost an arm and a leg
- cost an arm and a leg
- cost an arm and a leg
- costs an arm and a leg
- cost an arm and a leg
Exercise 5: True or False Questions
- The phrase is informal and most natural in everyday conversation and casual writing.
- “Cost an arm and a leg” is appropriate for describing something that is only slightly more expensive than expected.
- The idiom is used to describe things that are dramatically or shockingly expensive.
- “Break the bank” and “a fortune” express similar ideas to this idiom.
- “Cost an arm and a leg” is commonly used in formal academic or legal writing.
Answers:
- True
- False
- True
- True
- False
Exercise 6: Write Your Own Example
Think of something you bought, considered buying, or heard about that seemed shockingly expensive. In two or three sentences, describe what it was and why the price stood out, using the idiom naturally.
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Bibliography & Additional Resources
- Cambridge Dictionary, entry: “cost an arm and a leg“
- Dictionary.com, entry: “cost an arm and a leg“
- Grammarist, “Cost an arm and a leg — origin & meaning“
- General idiom and usage references
- (2024). Cost an arm and a leg – Meaning & Origin. Lexistry. https://www.lexistry.com/phrase/cost-an-arm-and-a-leg
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Author’s Note
I like this idiom because it’s one of the few that makes complaining feel creative. There’s something almost pleasing about the exaggeration. It captures the real frustration of an unreasonable price in a way that’s vivid but not mean. Everyone has their own story about something that cost an arm and a leg, whether it’s a car repair, a textbook, or a dentist visit. If you have one, I’d really like to hear it.
Coming up next: Cut Corners.
Remember: Every word has a story. Stay curious.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might also like: By the Skin of Your Teeth, Call It a Day, Cold Feet, Cut Corners, Cut Someone Some Slack, Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk