#78664
08/22/2002 5:12 AM
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1 |
Anyone know the origin of the phrase, "That will cost you an arm and a leg"? I have heard a couple of theories that sound more like joke material than research, e.g., jokes about Adam getting a better woman if he contributed more than a rib, and about painters charging by the number of limbs in the painting...
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#78665
08/22/2002 6:51 AM
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
Hi gsimons, and welcome,
Best I can offer is the following:
Eric Partridge, "A Dictionary of Catch Phrases." says this phrase comes from the U.S. and that its probable origin is another phrase, "if it takes a leg!" About the latter phrase, he says " 'Threat of a desperado, in search of revenge' (George P. Burnham, 'Memoirs of the United States Secret Service,' 1872): US underworld: c. 1850-1910. Even at the cost of a leg."
There’s a Brewer’s entry that sounds as if it might have a connection: Chance one’s arm – “To run a risk in the hope of succeeding and obtaining a profit or advantage. The…phrase is of army origin. A non-commissioned officer who offends against service regulations risks demotion and the loss of a stripe from his sleeve.” One can imagine someone saying "I don't care if it costs me my arm AND a leg!"
It does seem to be quite obscure, yet such a commonly used expression.
dxb.
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#78666
08/22/2002 7:52 AM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
I had always assumed that it was an extension of the phrase, "I'd give my right arm to ..." when someone desires something so strongly that they would make massive sacrifices for it to happen. (to be ambidextrous, for instance  ) But I must say that dxb's explanation looks to be more academically sound.
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#78667
08/22/2002 11:58 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146 |
These days they could be the cost of walking down the road in Islamic Nigeria ...
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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#78668
08/22/2002 12:36 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
These days they could be the cost of walking down the road in Islamic Nigeria ...
Funny you should say that. Two mornings ago, I drove my husband downtown to his office. I went home by a route I don't take very often, contemplating my woes, one huge recent one in particular. Then I saw a dark-skinned man walking; both of his arms ended above the elbow. Talk about putting my woes in perspective...
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#78669
08/22/2002 3:07 PM
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
So that's how youall prevent alcoholism in Kaintucky?
TEd
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#78670
08/23/2002 5:24 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
These days they could be the cost of walking down the road in Islamic Nigeria ...
...or more, as in being stoned to death for adultery, as will happen to at least one Nigerian woman whose plight has reached international news.
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