English · Idiom Candidate

cost the earth

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

She's currently doing the hippy thing with tassled flares, undressed hair and little round sunglasses but the feminine earth mother look is just a clothes change away.

It would cost the earth, but it had to be safer than Nigel's Aston Martin.

British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.

Common questions

What does “cost the earth” mean?

Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.

Is “cost the earth” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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