B: That's highway robbery. They can't be worth more than $50.
貴的離譜。一個箱子價值不會超過五十元。
A: The repairman said I had to pay $2,000 for everything.
修理工人說我總共要付兩千元。
B: That's highway robbery. He obviously charged you too much for such a simple job.
貴的離譜。這麼簡單的工作,他顯然收你太多錢了。
★你還可以這麼說.......................
That's outrageous.
太離譜了。
It costs a pretty penny.
這個太貴了。
I had to pay through the nose.
我付出很高的代價。
It costs an arm and a leg.
這花了很多錢。
A: How much was your new plasma screen TV?
你那台新的電漿電視花了多少錢?
B: It cost an arm and a leg. But if you want something nice, you have to pay for it.
花了很多錢。但是你想要好東西的話,就要付出代價。
★你知道嗎?.........................
an arm and a leg 意思就是「高額的費用」,可接在動詞 cost、charge 和 pay 後面使用,如果需要以一隻手和一條腿作為代價,想必換來的應該是價值不斐的東西。
而 pay through the nose 的起源有一種廣為流傳的版本,在九世紀時,丹麥人侵略了愛爾蘭之後設立了「鼻子稅」(nose tax),該稅法規定凡是沒有按時繳納稅金的人,都會受到鼻子被分割為兩半的懲罰。所以愛爾蘭人要咬緊牙根付鼻子稅(pay through the nose),才能免於此刑,後來就引申為「為某事(物)花費許多金錢」的意思。