costar un ojo de la cara

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “to cost an eye from the face”.

Verb

costar un ojo de la cara (first-person singular present cuesto un ojo de la cara, first-person singular preterite costé un ojo de la cara, past participle costado un ojo de la cara)

1. (idiomatic) to cost a pretty penny, cost an arm and a leg

   Synonyms: costar un huevo, costar un Perú

Usage notes

• To emphasise, it is possible to change the phrase to costar un ojo de la cara y parte del otro (cost an eye from the face and part of the other one)

Further reading

• “costar algo los ojos, o un ojo, de la cara”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10