Cost an Arm and a Leg: Meaning and Origin
If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive, often more than seems fair or reasonable. "Concert tickets cost an arm and a leg these days" simply means they are extremely pricey.
The expression is a deliberate exaggeration. Nobody literally hands over limbs at the checkout, but the image of giving up something irreplaceable makes the point vividly. It is informal, mildly humorous and understood everywhere English is spoken.
Quick answer: Cost an arm and a leg = be very expensive. Variations: pay an arm and a leg, charge an arm and a leg. Informal but not rude; it means the same in the US, UK and Australia. The popular "portrait painter" origin story is a myth.
On this page
Meaning in plain terms
The idiom describes a high price, and it usually carries a note of complaint or surprise. When you say the repair bill cost an arm and a leg, you are not just reporting a figure; you are telling the listener that it hurt.
It can also be used for non-financial costs, though this is less common. "Getting that permit cost us an arm and a leg in paperwork" stretches the idea to time and effort. The money sense remains the default.
Literal vs figurative sense
The literal picture is gruesome: losing two limbs to pay for something. That shock value is exactly why the figurative sense works. Exaggeration (hyperbole) is how English often expresses strong feeling, just as "I've told you a million times" isn't a real count.
Because the literal image is so extreme, there's no real risk of anyone taking it at face value. Context always makes the figurative meaning clear.
How the grammar works
The phrase is built around three interchangeable verbs, each with a different subject:
| Verb | Subject is… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cost | the thing bought | "The wedding cost an arm and a leg." |
| pay | the buyer | "We paid an arm and a leg for that sofa." |
| charge | the seller | "That garage charges an arm and a leg." |
| set (someone) back | the thing bought (informal) | "The new laptop set me back an arm and a leg." |
Cost is irregular: cost, cost, cost. So "it costed an arm and a leg" is wrong in this sense. (Costed exists only when cost means "estimate the price of," as in "The plan has been fully costed.")
You can also use the phrase as a noun-like object of other verbs: "It's worth an arm and a leg," "That'll take an arm and a leg." These are less fixed but understood.
Pronunciation
Natural speech runs the words together: "COST an ARM 'n' a LEG." The and almost always shrinks to "'n'." In British and Australian accents that drop the r after vowels, arm sounds like "AHM"; in most American accents the r is pronounced, "ARM."
Where the phrase came from
This is one of those idioms where the most famous explanation is wrong, so it's worth separating myth from what's actually known.
The myth: portrait painters
A widely shared story claims that in earlier centuries, painters priced portraits by the number of limbs shown. A head-and-shoulders portrait was cheapest; including arms and legs "cost an arm and a leg." It's a charming tale, but there's no historical evidence for it. Painters did charge more for larger canvases and full-length works, yet nothing links that pricing to this phrase, and the idiom doesn't appear until centuries after the period the story describes.
What we can say with confidence
The expression is first recorded in the twentieth century, and it appears to have arisen in American English around the middle of that century before spreading internationally. It belongs to a family of older English phrases that measure value in body parts, such as "I'd give my right arm for that" and the conditional threat "if it takes a leg," meaning whatever it costs.
Some writers connect the idiom to the many soldiers who lost limbs in the World Wars, suggesting the phrase reflects the idea of a terrible price paid. That is a theory, not an established fact. The honest summary is that the phrase likely blended existing body-part expressions of sacrifice into a catchy new form, and it caught on because it's memorable.
Tone, register and sensitivity
Cost an arm and a leg is informal and friendly. It suits conversation, texts, social media, blog posts, consumer journalism and relaxed workplace chat.
It's less suitable in:
- Formal reports and academic writing, where "prohibitively expensive" or "costly" is better.
- Client-facing emails about their prices, where it can sound like an accusation.
- Writing about amputation, disability or combat injury, where the literal image may feel careless. Most people won't be offended in ordinary talk, but a thoughtful writer chooses another phrase in those contexts.
24 example sentences
Everyday life
- "Have you seen petrol prices? Filling the car costs an arm and a leg now."
- "We wanted to stay in central London, but the hotels cost an arm and a leg."
- My sister paid an arm and a leg for her wedding dress and wore it for six hours.
- "Don't buy coffee at the airport; it costs an arm and a leg."
- Fixing the leaking roof cost us an arm and a leg, but at least the kitchen is dry.
- "Childcare in Sydney costs an arm and a leg."
Workplace and email
- "The original venue would cost an arm and a leg, so I've shortlisted three cheaper options."
- "Hi Raj, outsourcing the design would cost an arm and a leg. Could we handle it in-house?"
- The software looked perfect until we saw the licensing fees: an arm and a leg per user.
- "Express shipping to Perth costs an arm and a leg; standard should arrive by Thursday."
- "The Ohio contractor charges an arm and a leg, but their work never needs redoing."
Chat-style exchanges
Sam: Want to come to the festival this year? Lily: I'd love to, but the tickets cost an arm and a leg.
Noah: How was the new steak place? Grace: Amazing. Also cost an arm and a leg, so it's a birthday-only treat.
Ella: Did you fix your phone screen? Ben: Yep. Set me back an arm and a leg, so I bought a case straight after.
News and features style
- Rents in Melbourne's inner suburbs now cost an arm and a leg, pushing young renters further out.
- Many families in Leeds say school uniforms cost an arm and a leg.
- Parents complain that youth sports cost an arm and a leg once travel and equipment are added.
- Critics say the stadium will cost taxpayers an arm and a leg.
Advertising and reviews
- "Quality furniture that doesn't cost an arm and a leg."
- "This blender does everything the premium models do without costing an arm and a leg."
- "Great food, friendly staff, and it won't cost you an arm and a leg."
Questions and negatives
- "Does a good pair of hiking boots really have to cost an arm and a leg?"
- "It didn't cost an arm and a leg; I found it on sale."
- "Why does everything at the beach kiosk cost an arm and a leg?"
Figurative non-money uses
- "Getting a straight answer from the council cost me an arm and a leg in phone calls."
- Winning that contract cost the team an arm and a leg in late nights.
- "That promotion cost her an arm and a leg in family time."
Synonyms and alternatives
English has an impressive collection of ways to complain about prices. Here's how the main options compare.
| Expression | Meaning | Register | Regional flavor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cost a fortune | be very expensive | neutral | everywhere |
| cost a pretty penny | be quite expensive | informal, slightly old-fashioned | everywhere |
| cost a bomb | be very expensive | informal | UK, Australia |
| cost a packet | be very expensive | informal | UK |
| pay through the nose | pay far too much | informal | everywhere |
| break the bank | be too expensive to afford | informal | everywhere |
| daylight robbery | an outrageous price | informal | UK, Australia |
| highway robbery | an outrageous price | informal | US |
| rip-off | an overpriced item or deal | informal | everywhere |
| exy / exxy | expensive | slang | Australia |
| pricey / steep | expensive | informal | everywhere |
| costly / prohibitively expensive | very expensive | neutral to formal | everywhere |
Note that break the bank is usually negative: "A weekend away doesn't have to break the bank." It focuses on affordability, while cost an arm and a leg focuses on the size of the price.
US vs UK vs Australia
The idiom means exactly the same in all three countries, and all three use it often. Differences lie in the alternatives speakers choose alongside it.
United States. Americans say cost an arm and a leg, cost a fortune and highway robbery. Cost a bomb sounds British to most Americans, and "a bomb" in US slang more often means a flop (a movie that bombed).
United Kingdom. British speakers commonly use cost a bomb, cost a packet and daylight robbery in addition to the arm-and-leg idiom. Classic British understatement also appears: "It wasn't cheap."
Australia. Australians use cost an arm and a leg and cost a bomb freely, and the casual adjective exy ("that's a bit exy") is very common. Daylight robbery and rip-off both get plenty of use. Aussies also measure fuel prices at the servo (service station) and might grumble that "petrol's through the roof."
In writing, remember the house spelling of related words differs: Americans say gas and Britons and Australians say petrol, but the idiom itself has no spelling variants.
Common mistakes
❌ The repairs costed an arm and a leg. ✅ The repairs cost an arm and a leg.
❌ It cost an arm or a leg. ✅ It cost an arm and a leg.
❌ We cost an arm and a leg for the tickets. ✅ We paid an arm and a leg for the tickets.
❌ The shop paid us an arm and a leg for the TV. (This says the shop gave you money.) ✅ The shop charged us an arm and a leg for the TV.
❌ "Your consulting services cost an arm and a leg." (in a formal message to the supplier) ✅ "Your current rates are above our budget for this project."
❌ The bread cost an arm and a leg. (about a $3 loaf with no irony) ✅ Use it for prices that are genuinely high, or clearly as a joke.
A memory trick
Picture a price tag tied to your own elbow and knee. If paying would make you wince as much as losing a limb, it costs an arm and a leg.
For the grammar: the thing costs, the buyer pays, the seller charges. "C" for cost and charge comes before "P" for pay, just as the shop sets the price before you hand over money.
Related idioms worth exploring
Money and effort idioms often travel together. If something is cheap and easy, you might call it a piece of cake. When you finally accept an expensive bill you can't avoid, you bite the bullet. And if a friend asks why your holiday photos look so good, you might spill the beans that the resort cost an arm and a leg.
Practice quiz
Fill in the blank or choose the best option.
- "That restaurant ______ an arm and a leg for a tiny salad." (charges / pays)
- "Last year the car service ______ an arm and a leg." (costed / cost)
- Which is most suitable for a formal procurement report? (a) "The equipment costs an arm and a leg." (b) "The equipment is prohibitively expensive."
- An Australian says, "Those headphones are a bit exy." What do they mean? (a) They're excellent. (b) They're expensive. (c) They're extra large.
- "I'd love the new phone, but I'm not going to ______ an arm and a leg for it." (pay / charge)
- True or false: the idiom comes from painters who charged extra to paint limbs.
Answers
- charges. The seller charges; the buyer pays.
- cost. The past tense of cost (meaning "be priced at") is cost.
- (b). Formal writing avoids playful hyperbole.
- (b) They're expensive. Exy is Australian slang shortened from expensive.
- pay. The speaker is the buyer.
- False. The portrait story is a myth with no evidence; the phrase is recorded only from the twentieth century.
Putting it to use
Reach for cost an arm and a leg when you want to complain about a price in a friendly, vivid way, and match the verb to the subject: things cost, buyers pay, sellers charge. In formal or client-facing writing, trade it for costly or above budget, and if you're chatting with Australians, have exy and cost a bomb ready too.
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that 'cost an arm and a leg' comes from portrait painters?
No. The story that painters charged extra to include a subject's arms and legs is a popular myth with no evidence behind it. Portrait prices did vary with canvas size, but the idiom itself is not recorded until the twentieth century, long after the era the story describes.
Is 'cost an arm and a leg' rude or offensive?
No. It is a lighthearted, informal exaggeration that most people use without a second thought. Some writers avoid it in material about disability or war injuries, where the image of losing limbs can feel careless, but in ordinary conversation it is not considered offensive.
Can you say 'pay an arm and a leg'?
Yes. 'Pay an arm and a leg' and 'charge an arm and a leg' are both common and correct. 'Cost' takes the thing as its subject ('The flight cost an arm and a leg'), 'pay' takes the buyer ('We paid an arm and a leg') and 'charge' takes the seller ('They charge an arm and a leg').
What do Australians say instead of 'cost an arm and a leg'?
Australians use the idiom too, but they also say something 'cost a bomb', 'cost a fortune' or is 'exy', a casual shortening of expensive. Overpriced things might be called a 'rip-off' or 'daylight robbery'.
Can I use 'cost an arm and a leg' in a business email?
In a friendly internal email, yes. In a formal message to a client or supplier, it is safer to write 'very expensive', 'costly' or 'beyond our budget', which carry the same point without sounding flippant about the other party's pricing.