pay through the nose

Cultural  

1. To pay unreasonably high prices: “If you visit any major city these days, you had better be prepared to pay through the nose for a hotel room.”

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pay through the nose Idioms  

1. Pay an excessive amount for something, as in We paid through the nose for that vacation. The origin of this term has been lost. Possibly it alludes to the Danish nose tax, imposed in Ireland in the 9th century, whereby delinquent taxpayers were punished by having their noses slit. [Second half of 1600s]

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Example Sentences

Housing Secretary Steve Reed told the BBC that reselling for profit was “hugely damaging to individuals having to pay through the nose for tickets.”

From Los Angeles Times

Long-standing property owners or their heirs often pay virtually nothing in property taxes, while new purchasers pay through the nose, even for houses on the same block.

From Slate

Moreover, customers are always going to pay through the nose for tickets to high-profile, massively popular acts like Taylor Swift.

From Los Angeles Times

We have one daughter and pay through the nose for private childcare.

From Slate

That's why they were likely willing to pay through the nose to make the Dominion lawsuit go away.

From Salon

Related Words

• confiscate
• levy
• punish