I paid through the nose

Posted by ShuzoNakamura Tue, 15 Mar 1994 15:59:09 GMT

皆さん、とてつもなく高いものを買わされてしまったという経験はありませんか？　今日は、そんな場合の表現を２つみてみましょう。最初にあげる表現は、"I paid through the nose." です。これは、あなたの鼻の穴からお金が出てきたということではありません。大変高価な買い物をしたという意味です。例えば、骨董品や宝石、車などを買った時に、この表現を使います。同じ意味を示すものとして、"I paid an arm and a leg." があります。文字通りに理解すれば、物を買うために身体の一部を切りとって支払ったということになり、意味をなしません。或るものが大変高かったと大袈裟に表現しているわけです。

Bill: I love your new car! How much was it?
Bob: I think the car dealer overcharged me. Let's just say I paid through the nose.
Bill: I cant't believe you paid an arm and a leg for that! Hopefully, you'll pay it off in a few years.

このようなイディオムを頻繁に使われないことを祈っています。倹約第一。

3/15/1994

（イーストウエストジャーナル連載）

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DavidPfitzner replied: I think this is an interesting idiom and I am curious as to what the Japanese would say in this situation. Idioms are also interesting to me because they change as time changes. Just as today's generation might use different idioms to describe how they feel about something. For example today in Hawaii at Ala Moana Shopping Center you will see many Japanese buying Luis Vuitton Bags for $2000 dollars. Wow! You could definetly say that they paid an arm an a leg for that bag, but maybe they would feel it was a good deal compared to the prices in Japan. Also the older generation might not even consider paying such a price for any bag under any circumstance, since they came from a different frame of reference when it comes to spending money.

Posted: over 13 years later.
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AllisonChang commented: I've definitely spent too much money on stuff in the past, but I don't think I use this idiom... once or twice I may have said I paid an arm and a leg, but if I did, I was probably talking to my mom. I've definitely never said I paid through the nose... : )

Posted: over 13 years later.
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MelHaraguchi replied: I don't usually use these idioms either - they are a little outdated and old as idioms go. But I do understand "it cost an arm and a leg" because, we really do value our own body parts. "Pay thru the nose", I heard before but never used it either. I guess another similar old idiom would be like "I broke the bank". Meaning that the thing was so expensive that I had to take out a lot of money from the bank causing the bank a lot of hardship.

Posted: over 13 years later.