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This new phone costs an arm and a leg; I can't afford it.

AIs very cheap

BIs very expensive

CIs sold with a strange offer

DRequires a physical sacrifice

Answer:

B. Is very expensive

Read Explanation:

Understanding the Idiom: "Cost an Arm and a Leg"

  • The idiom "cost an arm and a leg" means that something is extremely expensive or prohibitively priced.
  • It implies a cost so high that it feels like you would have to sacrifice a vital body part to afford it, though it's not meant literally.

Origin and Usage

  • The exact origin is debated, but one popular theory suggests it emerged after World War I or World War II, referring to the high price soldiers paid in terms of physical injury (losing limbs) during the conflict.
  • Another theory links it to artists' inability to draw full figures, so they would charge less if they didn't include arms and legs, implying that including them would make the art (and thus the cost) complete and very high.
  • The phrase became more common in the mid-20th century, particularly after the 1940s.

Contextual Application

  • In the given sentence, "This new phone costs an arm and a leg; I can't afford it," the phrase clearly indicates the phone's high price as the reason for inability to purchase it.

Related Idioms and Phrases (Useful for Competitive Exams)

  • "Pay through the nose": To pay an excessive amount for something.
  • "Break the bank": To use up all of one's money; to be very expensive.
  • "A king's ransom": A huge sum of money, often used to describe something very costly.
  • "Worth its weight in gold": While not directly about cost, it describes something extremely valuable, which often implies high cost.

Key Takeaways for Exams

  • Idioms are phrases whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal meaning of its words. Understanding their figurative meaning is crucial for vocabulary and comprehension sections in competitive exams.
  • This idiom is frequently used in everyday English and often appears in reading comprehension or idiom-based questions in competitive examinations.

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