Sale Idioms (With Meaning and Examples)

Welcome! Today, we’ll explore fun phrases about buying and selling. These are called idioms, and they make our conversations interesting. Let’s learn some!

Sale Idioms

Here are 20 sale idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.

Selling like hotcakes

Meaning: Selling very quickly.
Example: Her new book is selling like hotcakes.

For a song

Meaning: Very cheaply.
Example: I bought this chair for a song at the flea market.

Hard sell

Meaning: Aggressive sales technique.
Example: He gave us the hard sell on the insurance policy.

Soft sell

Meaning: Gentle sales approach.
Example: She prefers the soft sell, suggesting products gently.

To cost an arm and a leg

Meaning: Very expensive.
Example: This car costs an arm and a leg.

Dirt cheap

Meaning: Very inexpensive.
Example: These bananas were dirt cheap.

On the house

Meaning: Free of charge.
Example: The first drink is on the house tonight.

Penny pincher

Meaning: Someone who spends very little money.
Example: He’s a real penny pincher when it comes to clothes.

To break the bank

Meaning: To be very expensive.
Example: Buying this new laptop might break the bank.

Window shopping

Meaning: Looking at items without intending to buy.
Example: We went window shopping at the mall yesterday.

Shop around

Meaning: Compare prices.
Example: It’s smart to shop around before you buy a phone.

A steal

Meaning: A very good deal.
Example: This jacket was a steal at $20.

Money talks

Meaning: Money can influence decisions.
Example: In big projects, money talks.

Bargain for

Meaning: Negotiate for a lower price.
Example: He bargained for a better deal on the car.

Cash cow

Meaning: A consistently profitable business.
Example: Their new product has become a cash cow.

To foot the bill

Meaning: To pay the bill.
Example: Dad had to foot the bill for dinner.

Tighten your belt

Meaning: Spend less money.
Example: We need to tighten our belts this month.

Value for money

Meaning: Worth the cost.
Example: This meal is great value for money.

Go Dutch

Meaning: Each person paying for themselves.
Example: Let’s go Dutch on dinner tonight.

Burn a hole in one’s pocket

Meaning: Money spent quickly.
Example: My paycheck is already burning a hole in my pocket.

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