cheap at half the price

English - English

Definition of cheap at half the price in English English dictionary

Refers to something being satisfactorily cheap

After he'd convinced you you'd only got one leg – the left – he'd sell you a gross of right-footed shoes. Cheap at half the price! A real bargain. Afterwards, you'd feel you'd been done a favour to, and obligingly walk off with a limp.

Humorous reference that something is quite expensive

After breakfast, Shirley and Gordon walked down the street to a shopping mall to look at fancy clothes and high priced jewelry. Cheap at half the price, Gordon observed. Shirley smiled.

Turkish pronunciation

çip ät häf dhi prays

Pronunciation

/ˈʧēp ˈat ˈhaf ᴛʜē ˈprīs/ /ˈʧiːp ˈæt ˈhæf ðiː ˈpraɪs/

Etymology

() Deliberate transformation of a street trader's cry, 'cheap at twice the price' (informing customers that what he was selling was twice as cheap), into 'cheap at half the price' which would imply that the price was excessive.