What does ‘cost a pretty penny’ mean?
To “cost a pretty penny” means to be expensive. An 18th-century English idiom; 'pretty' here is an old sense meaning 'considerable'. Brewer's records this older meaning of 'pretty'.
Origin
- An 18th-century English idiom; 'pretty' here is an old sense meaning 'considerable'. Brewer's records this older meaning of 'pretty'.
How to use it
- Casual comment on high prices.
- Example: That watch cost a pretty penny.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.