CORNERED, COST (SOMEONE) A MINT/ AN ARM AND A LEG, COUCH POTATO: American English Idioms #48

CORNERED

A situation in which one is backed into a corner with no possible retreat is called ‘cornered’. This can be an idiom for when an individual has gone past the point of no return, or feels that they are in a position where they have nowhere to go.

The phrase ‘cornered’ is an idiom meaning that you are in a dangerous and difficult position. This may be because someone else has backed you into a corner and they have the power to hurt you or cause problems for you, or it can mean that you have found yourself in a difficult situation without any way out.

When someone is cornered, they are in a difficult situation that they cannot escape.

A person may be cornered when they are at risk of being attacked. They may also be cornered when they are in an environment where they are not able to get away from another person who is blocking their path.

Some people use the idiom “cornered” to indicate that they are in a situation where they feel trapped.
For instance, when someone has nowhere else to go or no other options, they may feel cornered. Another way of saying this is “to have run out of options.”
A person can be cornered verbally, emotionally, or otherwise. A person may be cornered by others who are belittling them or making them feel small, for instance.

In a figurative sense, when you are cornered, it means that you have been driven into a corner and left with no possible escape. In an academic sense, when one is cornered in the academic world, it means that they have been forced to stay in their current field or job for a long period of time. This usually occurs in response to a need for assurance from the organization in which they work.

COST (SOMEONE) A MINT/ AN ARM AND A LEG

The idiom cost someone an arm and a leg is used to express the idea of great monetary expense. The phrase is derived from the 1600s and refers to the monetary value of a tradable commodity, such as livestock or metal. In modern times, it has been used to refer to anything that costs a lot of money.

The idiom to cost someone an arm and a leg is used to denote the high cost of something. This phrase can be traced back to medieval times when those who were indebted to the king lost their limbs as punishment. The phrase now means that something is very expensive and can be purchased only by those who have disposable income. The term has also been used in the past to describe the quality of medical care someone might receive, with higher-quality care costing more than less-expensive treatments.

The idiom cost someone an arm and a leg is used to describe the drastic expense of something. The phrase’s meaning comes from the idea that parts of one’s body need to be amputated in order to pay for an expensive purchase.

The idiom “cost someone an arm and a leg” is typically used in reference to the excessive expenditure of money. It refers to the idea that when something costs someone a lot of money, it feels like they are losing their arm or leg just by spending that money. For example, if someone spends $100 on clothes, they feel like they lost an arm and a leg because of their purchases.

COUCH POTATO

Couch potato is a term that has been used to describe someone who does not exercise and spends much of their day sitting on the couch. It is an idiom that makes light of the less-than-healthy lifestyle that these people are living.

Couch potatoes are those who spend the majority of their time on the couch. They rarely leave to exercise, socialize, or even eat healthy. The idiom “couch potato” is used to describe people who have this inactive lifestyle.

A “couch potato” is a person who does not exercise and spends most of their free time watching movies and/or TV. The term originated in the 1950s and first appeared in print as early as 1965, though it was first used as a metaphor to describe the slow-moving nature of a certain species of beetle. There are many variations on this phrase, such as “potato chip”, “couch cuscus”, and “lazy potato”.

A couch potato is a term used to describe someone who spends way too much time on the couch. The term has become an idiomatic expression for someone who is lazy, or unproductive. It can be used as a noun or an adjective.

A couch potato is a person who spends a lot of time on the couch and not much time doing anything else. Couch potatoes usually do not work or go to school and typically just watch TV or play video games. They are often obese and overweight because they do not move around much. The term is usually used in a pejorative sense to say that someone who does such things is lazy and unhealthy, either because the person has given up on their goals or is apathetic.