Idiom – An arm and a leg

Janice Thompson

1 min read

Updated On Aug 14, 2024

An arm and a leg – Idiom of the Day

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An arm and a leg – Idiom of the Day

Meaning:

Very high price

History:

There is evidence of this phrase being used from 1949. It also seemed to evolve out of the phrase “if it takes a leg” which seemed to be in use from the 1860s.

Idiom scenarios:

Scenario 1:

Friend 1: The dispute over my ancestral property is going on for a long time. So I’m going to hire the famous lawyer Jason to represent me in the court.

Friend 2: Are you a fool? It will cost you an arm and a leg

Scenario 2:

Friend 1: Mrs.Natalia’s diamond earrings are attracting everyone in the party.

Friend 2: Yeah. it must have cost her an arm and a leg.

Exercises:

Fill in the blanks to understand the usage of the idiom:

He got admitted in ABC hospital for his heart surgery and it cost him ……………………..
Mr.Shaw rented a room in the famous “ABC” group of hotels. It cost him ………………………………
I want the platinum bracelet even if it costs ………………………………………..

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Janice Thompson

Soon after graduating with a Master’s in Literature from Southern Arkansas University, she joined an institute as an English language trainer. She has had innumerous student interactions and has produced a couple of research papers on English language teaching. She soon found that non-native speakers struggled to meet the English language requirements set by foreign universities. It was when she decided to jump ship into IELTS training. From then on, she has been mentoring IELTS aspirants. She joined IELTSMaterial about a year ago, and her contributions have been exceptional. Her essay ideas and vocabulary have taken many students to a band 9.