Italian idiom: cost an eye (cost an arm and a leg)

As the saying goes spend an eye on the head (literally “cost an eye”) used in Italian to refer to something that costs a lot of money. It compared the irreparable and painful loss of an eye to the loss of huge amounts of money.

In English we have a similar expression that refers not to the eyes but to the limbs: cost an arm and a leg.

according to republicSpanish conquistador Diego de Almagro coined the phrase after he was shot by an arrow and lost an eye while exploring Peru in the 16th century. He later seemed to say that his efforts to defend royal interests “cost him an eye” (Spanish, cost an arm and a leg).

replace spend (spend), you can also use other money-related verbs, such as spend (To spend) or pay (pay). In this case, the best translation is “spend”.