💼 “pay through the nose”

What it means: To pay far too much for something.

“Airport parking: you pay through the nose to leave it in a field.”

Where it comes from

Late-17th-century slang. The Danish "nose tax" and the Irish tribute-by-nose stories make fine tales and have no documentary support; the phrase simply arrived, probably as plain rude hyperbole.

← burn the midnight oil · all work & money idioms · go the extra mile →

the bottom linebe in the redback to the drawing boardburn the midnight oilgo the extra mile

More phrases, including proverbs from dozens of languages, at Proverbs of the World.