0%

an arm and a leg

an arm and a leg
A a

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [uh n ahrm and ey leg]
    • /ən ɑrm ænd eɪ lɛg/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [uh n ahrm and ey leg]
    • /ən ɑrm ænd eɪ lɛg/

Definitions of an arm and a leg words

  • phrase an arm and a leg If you say that something costs an arm and a leg, you mean that it is very expensive. 3
  • noun an arm and a leg a large amount of money 3
  • noun an arm and a leg a very great amount of money 3
  • noun an arm and a leg the upper limb of the human body, especially the part extending from the shoulder to the wrist. 1
  • noun an arm and a leg the upper limb from the shoulder to the elbow. 1
  • noun an arm and a leg the forelimb of any vertebrate. 1
See all 25 definitions of an arm and a leg

Information block about the term

Origin of an arm and a leg

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English; Old English earm; cognate with Gothic arms, Old Norse armr, Old Frisian erm, Dutch, Old Saxon, Old High German arm (German Arm) arm; Latin armus, Serbo-Croatian rȁme, rȁmo shoulder; akin to Sanskrit īrmá, Avestan arəma-, OPruss irmo arm; not akin to Latin arma arm2

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for An arm and a leg

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of An arm and a leg

an arm and a leg popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

an arm and a leg usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for an arm and a leg

adj an arm and a leg

  • valuable — having considerable monetary worth; costing or bringing a high price: a valuable painting; a valuable crop.
  • high — having a great or considerable extent or reach upward or vertically; lofty; tall: a high wall.
  • steep — having an almost vertical slope or pitch, or a relatively high gradient, as a hill, an ascent, stairs, etc.
  • fancy — imagination or fantasy, especially as exercised in a capricious manner.
  • stiff — rigid or firm; difficult or impossible to bend or flex: a stiff collar.
All 30 Synonyms of an arm and a leg

Antonyms for an arm and a leg

adj an arm and a leg

  • hateful — arousing hate or deserving to be hated: the hateful oppression of dictators.
  • unimportant — of much or great significance or consequence: an important event in world history.
  • valueless — without worth or value; worthless: valueless stocks; a valueless promise.
  • worthless — without worth; of no use, importance, or value; good-for-nothing: a worthless person; a worthless contract.
  • inexpensive — not expensive; not high in price; costing little.
All 12 Antonyms of an arm and a leg

See also

Matching words

Was this page helpful?
Yes No
Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page
Tell us why?