If something costs an arm and a leg, it means it is very expensive. Native speakers use the phrase to describe a price that feels painfully high, whether they are talking about rent, repairs, travel, tickets, or everyday purchases. Major dictionaries define the idiom that way and mark it as informal.
Quick Answer
“Cost an arm and a leg” means to cost a lot of money or to be extremely expensive. It is a figurative, informal way to say a price feels unusually high. Merriam-Webster defines it as “to be too expensive,” and Cambridge defines it as “to be very expensive.”
What Cost An Arm And A Leg Means
In everyday English, the idiom means a price feels very high. It does not give an exact amount. Instead, it emphasizes the speaker’s reaction to the price.
If someone says, “Those concert tickets cost an arm and a leg,” they mean the tickets felt extremely expensive. They may be complaining, exaggerating slightly for effect, or simply stressing that the cost was significant. Collins, Britannica Dictionary, and Dictionary.com all define the phrase around the idea of a very large or exorbitant amount of money.
Literal Meaning Vs. Figurative Meaning
Taken literally, the phrase sounds as if someone is paying with body parts. That is what gives the idiom its force. It is deliberately exaggerated.
Figuratively, it means the cost feels so high that paying for it seems like a painful sacrifice. LanguageTool and QuillBot both explain the phrase as an idiom for something extraordinarily expensive rather than a literal statement.
When People Use It
People use this idiom when the price of something feels strikingly high in ordinary life. Common examples include:
- rent in an expensive city
- last-minute flights
- car repairs
- medical bills
- designer clothes
- event tickets
- hotel rooms during peak travel season
It is especially common in speech and casual writing because it conveys feeling, not just information. Collins’ examples include travel, drinks, live music, and everyday consumer spending, which shows how naturally the phrase fits normal conversation.
How The Idiom Usually Appears In A Sentence
The idiom most often appears with verbs such as cost, charge, and pay. Dictionary.com explicitly notes that pattern, and it matches how the phrase appears in dictionary examples across Merriam-Webster, Cambridge, and Collins.
Natural patterns include:
- “It cost an arm and a leg.”
- “They charged us an arm and a leg.”
- “I paid an arm and a leg for it.”
- “At least it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
That last pattern matters too. Native speakers often use the idiom negatively to praise value: “It looks great, and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
Tone And Context
The phrase is usually informal, dramatic, and slightly emotional. It often carries a tone of complaint, frustration, disbelief, or humor. Cambridge and Collins both mark it as an idiom used in informal English.
That does not mean it always implies the price was unfair. Sometimes it simply means something was expensive. A person might say, “The trip cost an arm and a leg, but it was worth it.” In that sentence, the speaker is not saying the purchase was a mistake. They are saying it was costly.
When It Sounds Natural And When It Does Not
This idiom sounds natural in:
- conversation
- text messages
- casual emails
- blog posts
- reviews
- lifestyle and entertainment writing
It sounds less natural in:
- legal writing
- technical reports
- academic writing
- pricing documents
- formal business communication
In a report, you would usually write high-cost, expensive, premium-priced, or cost-prohibitive instead. In conversation, cost an arm and a leg sounds much more natural.
Does It Always Mean Overpriced
No. That is an important distinction.
Sometimes the idiom means something is overpriced or not worth the money. Other times it only means the item or service was expensive. The speaker may still think it was worth buying.
Compare these:
- “That coffee cost an arm and a leg.”
This usually sounds like a complaint. - “The vacation cost an arm and a leg, but I’d do it again.”
This means it was expensive, but still worthwhile.
That nuance is one of the biggest things weak idiom articles miss.
Origin And History
The exact origin of cost an arm and a leg is not fully settled, and a careful article should say so directly. Phrasefinder identifies it as an American expression from the mid-20th century and specifically says the popular portrait-painting explanation is mistaken.
Phrasefinder’s fuller history page points to a late-1940s citation and suggests the phrase may connect either to the idea of body parts as things no one would sell except at an enormous price, or to earlier expressions involving sacrificing a limb. Dictionary.com likewise points to an older American slang expression, if it takes a leg, rather than claiming a neat single-source origin.
That makes the safest explanation this: the meaning is clear, the phrase is likely American, and the exact origin remains debated. That is stronger and more trustworthy than repeating folklore as fact.
Examples Of Cost An Arm And A Leg In Sentences
- “Our hotel room cost an arm and a leg over the holiday weekend.”
- “I wanted lower-bowl seats, but they cost an arm and a leg.”
- “Getting the car fixed cost me an arm and a leg this month.”
- “That apartment is nice, but it costs an arm and a leg.”
- “We finally found a couch that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
- “The meal cost an arm and a leg, but the food was excellent.”
These examples show the most natural real-world uses: travel, housing, tickets, repairs, furniture, and dining.
Similar Expressions
Several expressions overlap with cost an arm and a leg, but they are not identical.
- Cost a fortune — the closest neutral everyday alternative
- Break the bank — suggests spending a very large amount
- Cost a pretty penny — sounds a little lighter or more old-fashioned
- Rip-off — adds a judgment that the price is unfair
- Highway robbery — strongly judgmental and more dramatic
QuillBot also lists related idioms such as cost a bomb, cost the earth, and cost a king’s ransom, which shows how broad the “very expensive” idiom family is across English varieties.
FAQ
Is “cost an arm and a leg” an idiom?
Yes. It is an idiom because the meaning is figurative, not literal. Dictionaries define it as meaning something is very expensive, not that anyone is literally giving up body parts.
Does it always mean something is unfairly priced?
No. It often suggests frustration, but it can also simply mean something was expensive. A speaker can use it even when they still think the purchase was worth it.
Can I use it in formal writing?
Usually no. It sounds most natural in speech and informal writing. In formal contexts, simpler choices like very expensive, high-cost, or costly are usually better. Cambridge and Collins both classify the phrase as informal.
Where did the phrase come from?
The safest answer is that it is likely an American idiom from the mid-20th century, but the exact origin is uncertain. Phrasefinder rejects the popular painting myth, and Dictionary.com connects the phrase to earlier slang involving a “leg,” not a proven single story.
What is the simplest meaning of “cost an arm and a leg”?
The simplest meaning is very expensive. Merriam-Webster says it means “to be too expensive,” and Cambridge says “to be very expensive.”
Conclusion
“Cost an arm and a leg” means something is very expensive. It is a vivid, informal idiom people use when a price feels painfully high, shocking, or hard to justify.
Use it in casual English when you want to emphasize how expensive something felt, not to give an exact price. And if you mention the history, keep it accurate: the meaning is settled, but the origin is still debated.
