“Cost an arm and a leg”in other languages

Same idea, different pictures

Most languages pay with the body. English gives an arm and a leg, Spanish an eye from the face, costar un ojo de la cara; tradition links it to the conquistador Diego de Almagro, who lost an eye in battle, though that story can't be proven. French gives the skin off its backside, la peau des fesses, or just an arm, un bras, a recent borrowing from English.

Finnish pays in malt, maksaa maltaita, once a precious ingredient for brewing. French ça pique says it stings.