Monday, 20 April 2015

Monday idiom: An arm and a leg.

Hello again!

How was your weekend? I hope you've had a good one and are ready for our Monday idiom!

Today, we have one which is body related even in Spanish, let's see if you can guess its meaning with some examples:


   'This jacket cost me an arm and a leg'
   'Food there doesn't cost an arm and a leg, it's quite affordable'

Any clues? What if I say in Spanish we say 'cost me an eye' or 'cost me a kidney'?

That's right! In English things don't cost eyes, they are expensive as an arm or a leg. There're many stories about its origin, my favorite is the one Art related. It's said that painters used to charge you according to the size of the painting, therefore the cheapest option would be head and shoulders, then including arms and so on, being a full body with legs the most expensive.

More info about its origin at: www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/arm-and-a-leg.html

Until next Monday idiom!

Regards,

BP

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