Spending money · Money and prices
pay through the nose
pay excessively
If you pay through the nose, you pay far too much.
This vs that
We paid through the nose for the room.
We got a great deal on the room.
Hear it in real life
Did you manage to get tickets for the final?
Yes, but I paid through the nose for them.
We paid through the nose for a tiny hotel room during the festival.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
This familiar idiom is a natural way to complain about an excessive cost.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: We paid from the nose for the tickets.
Say: We paid through the nose for the tickets.
Keep the preposition 'through' in this idiom.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
pay through the nose for ___
We paid through the nose for a tiny room.
They paid through the nose for last-minute tickets.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about spending money.
spend a fortune on
We spent a fortune on the kitchen, but it was worth it.
split the bill
Shall we split the bill between the four of us?
Spending money words
Money and prices · Spending money: the words around “pay through the nose”.
More connectionsMore spending money words8
More spending money words
Your turn: say it out loud
We paid through the nose for it.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
pay through the nose
pay excessively
“We paid through the nose for a tiny hotel room during the festival.”
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