Price and value are two different conversations, and English has two different sets of idioms for them. One set says how much it hurt to pay. The other says whether it was worth the pain. Here are eight you will hear in both.
1. The bill for the crown
Ana: How much was the crown?
Bruno: Don't ask. It cost an arm and a leg.
Ana: More than the car repair?
Bruno: Twice.
Ana: And you still have to eat soup.
Bruno: For a week.
2. Three nights in Lisbon
Cleo: Three nights in Lisbon.
Dario: How much?
Cleo: Two hundred each, flights included. It won't break the bank.
Dario: That's cheaper than staying home.
Cleo: It isn't, but it feels like it.
Dario: Book it.
3. Past security
Lila: Nine pounds for a sandwich.
Jonah: At the airport?
Lila: At the airport. It's a rip-off.
Jonah: Everything past security is.
Lila: I'm bringing my own next time.
Jonah: You say that every time.
4. Eight hundred for a mattress
Kofi: You paid what for a mattress?
Tess: Eight hundred. And it was worth every penny.
Kofi: For a mattress.
Tess: I sleep now. I didn't before.
Kofi: Send me the link.
5. The rent goes up in April
Milo: The rent's going up in April.
Pru: By how much?
Milo: Eighty a month.
Pru: Then we tighten our belts until summer.
Milo: No more Friday takeaways.
Pru: I'll survive.
6. The account he doesn't touch
Noor: What's that account for?
Elias: Fifty a month. I don't touch it.
Noor: Saving for anything?
Elias: Nothing. I save for a rainy day.
Noor: And has it rained?
Elias: Twice. Boiler, then the cat.
7. Her sixtieth birthday
Halle: Where are we taking her?
Sven: That place by the river.
Halle: That's not cheap.
Sven: She's sixty. We can splash out once.
Halle: You're right. Book the window table.
Sven: Already did.
8. Why the shelf came down
Rafa: The shelf came off the wall.
Ida: The one they put up in May?
Rafa: Four screws where there should be eight. They cut corners.
Ida: Call them back.
Rafa: I'd rather pay somebody who won't.
Ida: Paying twice is the expensive way.
Words to know
| cost an arm and a leg | to be extremely expensive Don't ask. It cost an arm and a leg. |
| break the bank | to cost more than you can afford Two hundred each, flights included. It won't break the bank. |
| a rip-off | something sold at a completely unfair price At the airport. It's a rip-off. |
| worth every penny | expensive, but completely worth the money Eight hundred. And it was worth every penny. |
| tighten your belt | to spend less because there is less coming in Then we tighten our belts until summer. |
| save for a rainy day | to keep money for a problem you cannot see yet Nothing. I save for a rainy day. |
| splash out | to spend more than usual on something special She's sixty. We can splash out once. |
| cut corners | to skip necessary steps in order to save money or time Four screws where there should be eight. They cut corners. |
Quick practice
Complete each sentence with an idiom from the conversations above. Change the form if you need to.
1. Bruno would not say what the crown had cost, only that it ________.
(was extremely expensive)
2. Two hundred each with flights included, so Cleo said the trip would not ________.
(cost more than you can afford)
3. Nine pounds for a sandwich past security. Lila called it ________.
(an unfair price)
4. The mattress cost eight hundred, and Tess said it was ________.
(expensive but completely worth it)
5. With the rent going up eighty a month, Pru said they would have to ________ until summer.
(spend less)
6. The shelf came off the wall because the fitters used four screws instead of eight. They ________.
(skipped necessary steps)
Show the answers
1. cost an arm and a leg 2. break the bank 3. a rip-off 4. worth every penny 5. tighten their belts 6. cut corners
Common mistakes
Not: The repair cost an arm and leg.
Say: The repair cost an arm and a leg.
There are two articles, one in front of each body part: an arm and a leg. English does not share an article across and in this idiom, and dropping the second one is the most common way learners break it.
Not: The course was expensive, but it was worth every pennies.
Say: The course was expensive, but it was worth every penny.
Every is always followed by a singular noun — every penny, every day, every person. The idiom means you would happily pay each single coin again.
Not: After the rent went up we had to tight our belts.
Say: After the rent went up we had to tighten our belts.
Tight is the adjective; tighten is the verb, and an action is needed here. The belt gets smaller because there is less of you — or less money — inside it.
Your turn
Say your answers aloud before you write them. Money idioms carry a strong opinion, so make it clear whether you think the price was fair.
- Think of something you bought that cost an arm and a leg. Was it worth every penny? Answer in two sentences using both idioms.
- Name one thing near you that is a rip-off. Say what it should cost instead.
- Describe a month when you had to tighten your belt. What was the first thing to go?
- You are planning a birthday for someone. Write one sentence about where you would splash out and one about where you would not.
- Finish this sentence about a job done badly: They cut corners, and six months later ...
Quick review
Sort these into two piles. The price pile: cost an arm and a leg is simply huge, break the bank is huge for you in particular, and a rip-off adds the accusation that somebody is cheating you. The value pile is smaller but stronger: worth every penny is the one sentence that ends an argument about price. The last four are behaviour. Tighten your belt and save for a rainy day both mean spending less, but the first is forced and the second is chosen. Splash out is the happy opposite, and always for an occasion. And cut corners is the one that costs you later — the only idiom here that is never a compliment.