When Everything Costs an Arm and a Leg: 4 Money Idioms

ENMartin, I have found the perfect hotel for our summer holiday.

ENPerfect location?

ENRight beside the beach.

ENPerfect rooms?

ENLarge, bright, and every room has a sea view.

ENPerfect price?

ENWell... perhaps the price is not completely perfect.

ENHow much is it?

ENI would prefer not to say.

ENJulia, does this hotel cost an arm and a leg?

ENPossibly one arm, one leg, and a few fingers.

ENThen we need a new plan.

ENWelcome to Your English Toolbox and Practice Arena Five-Minute English.

ENI am Martin.

ENAnd I am Julia.

ENToday we are exploring Lesson Three of our free idioms course: Money.

ENThe course takes you through twenty-five lessons and one hundred useful English idioms.

ENEach lesson includes a natural dialogue, clear meanings, grammar notes, examples, listening and interactive practice.

ENYou can find the course at Your English Toolbox dot com slash idioms.

ENAnd the direct link to this free lesson is waiting for you in the episode description.

ENToday we are learning four expressions: cost an arm and a leg, on a shoestring, make ends meet, and save for a rainy day.

ENLet us return to my beautiful but painfully expensive hotel.

ENIf something costs an arm and a leg, it is extremely expensive.

ENThe expression is an informal exaggeration.

ENYou do not really pay with parts of your body.

ENFortunately.

ENWe could say, “That new phone costs an arm and a leg.”

ENOr, “The repairs cost us an arm and a leg.”

ENNotice that cost is irregular.

ENThe past form is also cost, not costed.

ENSo the repairs cost us an arm and a leg.

ENExactly.

ENNow, if the hotel is too expensive, perhaps we could travel on a shoestring.

ENOn a shoestring means using a very small amount of money.

ENYou can travel on a shoestring, make a film on a shoestring, or start a business on a shoestring.

ENAnd before a noun, we often say a shoestring budget.

ENWe travelled on a shoestring, but we had a shoestring budget.

ENThat sounds possible.

ENWe could stay at a small hostel and prepare our own food.

ENGood.

ENBecause after paying my bills this month, I am simply trying to make ends meet.

ENTo make ends meet means to have just enough money to pay for essential living costs.

ENRent, food, electricity and transport.

ENIt does not mean that you are earning a lot of money.

ENIt means your income and your necessary expenses can just meet.

ENAnd ends is always plural.

ENMake ends meet, not make the end meet.

ENPerhaps an expensive beach hotel is not the right choice when we are trying to make ends meet.

ENEspecially because I also want to save for a rainy day.

ENTo save for a rainy day means to keep money for a future problem or unexpected need.

ENThe rainy day is figurative.

ENYou might need the money if your car breaks down or your boiler stops working.

ENYou can save for a rainy day or put money aside for a rainy day.

ENAnd before a noun, we can talk about rainy-day savings.

ENSo your plan is to travel on a shoestring and keep your savings for an emergency.

ENExactly.

ENI am beginning to like this plan.

ENTime for a quick challenge.

ENSay the correct idiom before Martin answers.

ENSituation one.

ENA simple concert ticket is unbelievably expensive.

ENIt costs an arm and a leg.

ENSituation two.

ENTwo students travel across Europe with almost no money.

ENThey travel on a shoestring.

ENSituation three.

ENA family has just enough income to cover its essential bills.

ENThey make ends meet.

ENFinal situation.

ENYou put some money aside in case your car needs an unexpected repair.

ENYou save for a rainy day.

ENNow choose one expression and make a sentence about your own life.

ENQuick recap.

ENCost an arm and a leg means be extremely expensive.

ENOn a shoestring means with a very small budget.

ENMake ends meet means have enough money for essential living costs.

ENAnd save for a rainy day means keep money for a future difficulty.

ENContinue with Lesson Three through the direct link in the description.

ENIts interactive practice will help you retrieve these expressions instead of simply recognising them.

ENSo, Martin, where are we going on holiday?

ENSomewhere that does not cost an arm and a leg.

ENOn a shoestring?

ENOn a very comfortable shoestring.

ENI am not sure that exists.

ENThen we may need to save for another rainy day.