king\'s ransom

king's ransom

 
noun
an extremely large amount of money: The painting was sold for a king's ransom.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

king's ransom

A huge sum of money, as in That handmade rug must have cost a king's ransom. This metaphoric expression originally referred to the sum required to release a king from captivity. [Late 1400s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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