Pay through the nose

Meaning:

We can use this idiom to describe when we pay too much money for something. It is often used when we pay a lot of money, or too much money, but we buy something that is worth the big expense. Sometimes, however, we pay through the nose for something that is not worth the expense.

Example sentences:

1. I paid through the nose.
2. You're going to pay through the nose.
3. We have to pay through the nose.

Example dialogue:

A couple is complaining to each other about the problems they are having with an expensive house they bought last year.

A: We've had this house for a year now, and it has given us nothing but trouble.
B: Yeah, first the leaky roof, then the rusty pipes, and now it looks like we have to buy a new furnace.
A: It really makes me angry, especially because we paid through the nose to get this house.
B: Yeah, and we're still paying through the nose to fix it all the time. We should phone that real estate agent and complain.

Practice:

What did you pay through the nose for?