cost an arm and a leg,這麼恐怖到底是什麼意思?

「輕鬆一課」第124期有一次，我問一個初中生，你以後想去上哪個大學啊？他的回答讓我非常吃驚，他說他就想上當地的一個州立大學。我說為什麼呀，你難道不想去一個更好的學校嗎? 他的答案讓我徹底震驚了，他說「因為便宜」。美國大學的學費其實是很貴的，對於美國人來說是這樣，對於留學生來說就更是這樣了。

College tuitions cost an arm and a leg nowadays.

  節目音樂：Human（Christina Perri）

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cost an arm and a leg

cost an arm and a leg，聽上去有點瘮人，需要付出一隻胳膊和一條腿的代價嗎？其實沒有那麼可怕。

cost an arm and a leg，which means to cost a lot of money，to be very expensive. 表示需要花費很多的錢，價錢非常昂貴。

 

I』d really like to have a new farm house, but it may cost me an arm and a leg.

我真的很想有一套新的農場住宅，但是會花費很多錢。

 

If something costs an arm and a leg, it costs a lot of money.

 

I'd love to buy a Porsche, but they cost an arm and a leg.

我想買輛保時捷，但它真的是太貴了。

 

有人說買東西是一分錢，一分貨，價格和貨物的質量是成正比的，但有時候事實並非如此，價格高昂的東西在不良商家的包裝下質量也可能很低劣。

Many restaurants were charging an arm and a leg for poor quality food.

許多餐廳對一些低質量的食品也要價頗高。

 

相反，我們其實也能找到一些物美價廉的餐廳。

You must visit that restaurant; the food is really good, and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg.

你應該去那家餐廳看看，那的東西很好，而且也不貴。

 

有時候如果我們很想要一樣東西，很想做一件事，也就不在乎它的價格了。

He really wants to go to that event. He’s willing to pay an arm and a leg for it.

他真的很想去那個項目，願意不惜一切代價。

 

The show is excellent, but the tickets cost an arm and a leg.

這場秀很棒，但是票價太貴了。

 

The phrase 'costs an arm and a leg' is used to describe anything that is considered to be extremely expensive or excessively pricey.

If a person thinks the cost of something is unreasonably high, they might use this common idiom to describe the price.

這個短語用來描述什麼東西價格極其昂貴，貴得過分。如果人們認為什麼東西價格貴得不合理，就會用cost an arm and a leg來描述它。

 

那這個短語究竟是怎麼來的呢？What is the origin of this phrase？

The origins of this phrase are unclear. There are, however, a few theories as to where it may have come from: One theory is that this saying originated from the early 20th century, possibly during one of the major World Wars. 

The idea being that soldiers, because of their heavy involvement in war and being in the line of fire, can possibly lose a hand, foot, leg, or arm. Thus, the war would literally cost the person their arm or leg, which is a high price to pay.

這個短語的起源不詳，但是有這麼一個說法：20世紀早期，據說是在二戰左右，士兵們上戰場，衝鋒在前陣，穿越在火線，很可能會缺胳膊少腿的。這場戰爭讓他們付出了慘痛的代價，讓他們的身體變得殘缺，這的確是一個high price to pay，於是就這麼沿用下來了。

 

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《Human（Christina Perri）》 

（可上下滑動查看）

I can hold my breath

I can bite my tongue

I can stay awake for days

If that's what you want

Be your number one

I can fake a smile

I can force a laugh

I can dance and play the part

If that's what you ask

Give you all I am

I can do it

I can do it

I can do it

But I'm only human

And I bleed when I fall down

I'm only human

And I crash and I break down

Your words in my head knives in my heart

You build me up and then I fall apart

Cuz I'm only human

I can turn it on

Be a good machine

I can hold the weight of worlds

If that's what you need

Be your everything

I can do it

I can do it

I can do it

But I'm only human

And I bleed when I fall down

I'm only human

And I crash and I break down

Your words in my head knives in my heart

You build me up and then I fall apart

Cuz I'm only human

I'm only human

I'm only human

Just a little human

I can take so much

Until I've had enough

『Cause I'm only human

And I bleed when I fall down

I'm only human

And I crash and I break down

Your words in my head knives in my heart

You build me up and then I fall apart

『Cause I'm only human yeah

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