Why Does the Phrase ‘an Arm and a Leg’ Mean Expensive?

Its origins are suspected either in wars or in old paintings.

To cost an arm and a leg means very expensive.

‘An arm and a leg’ means —

• a very high or exorbitant price for something.

This phrase has two origin stories.

The first one comes from the ancient practice of aristocrats getting their paintings done. In the olden days, it was prohibitively expensive to get your oil painting done because they took a huge amount of time to finish. Only the rich aristocrats could afford them.

Furthermore, the price of the painting depended on the number of limbs included in it. Thus, the painting of a head and shoulders was the cheapest. As you included the arms and the legs in it, the paintings became pricier.

The more limbs a painting included in the frame, the costlier it was to paint.

Another possible origin suggests that this phrase comes from the war and refers to the soldiers who lose their limbs during a battle. Limbs such as arms and legs are an integral part of the body, and no one wants to part with them. But in war, soldiers can and do frequently lose their limbs.

Soldiers frequently lose their limbs in wars.

After the American Civil War, US Congress made provisions to grant special pensions to soldiers who had lost any of their limbs in the war signifying that to lose an arm or a leg is a very costly affair.

Thus, the phrase an arm and a leg has come to mean very expensive.

Let’s see an example —

“Sure, the dress looks beautiful, but it cost me an arm and a leg.”

It means that the dress is very expensive.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.