Cost you an arm and a leg

Posted by Kaz on June 14, 2004

A friend told me that the origin of this phrase was from days gone by when photo portraits were priced based on the number of limbs that were included in the photo. For example, a head shot was the least expensive. The most expensive would be if all four limbs were visible. Can anyone confirm this? I can't seem to find a good answer anywhere.

• Cost you an arm and a leg platypus 14/June/04