king's ransom

A very large sum of money. I've always wanted to vacation in Hawaii, but the plane tickets cost a king's ransom.

*king's ransom

Fig. a great deal of money. (To pay an amount as large as one might have to pay to get back a king held for ransom. *Typically: cost ~; pay ~; spend~.) I would like to buy a nice watch, but I don't want to pay a king's ransom for it. It's a lovely house. I bet it cost a king's ransom.

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]

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Inmaculada	-	Spanish
Aristide	ah-ree-STEE-de (Italian)	French, Italian
Polyxene	-	Greek Mythology
Alexei	ah-lyek-SYAY (Russian), ah-leek-SYAY (Russian)	Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Isaura	ee-SOW-rah (Spanish)	Portuguese, Spanish, Late Roman
Gardenia	gahr-DEEN-yə	English (Rare)