Cheap at half the price

Posted by James Briggs on November 23, 2000

In Reply to: Cheap at half the price posted by ash on November 23, 2000

: is the phrase "cheap at half the price" or "cheap at twice the price"?
: Where does the phrase originate from?

My cockney Mum always said "cheap at half the price" and it was commonly so in the East end of London in the 1930s and 40s, and in my Grandmother's generation before. This always seemed wrong to me, and "cheap at twice the price" makes much more sense. Where the phrase comes from is unknown to me but, if the "twice" is correct, then perhaps it just came from logic!

  • Cheap at half the price Bob 11/23/00