PRICE
ADJECTIVES
► BASE of price: low, cheap → 1599 obs.
► BETTER greater, more higher in price → 1911 Sc. (Bk.)
► BETTER-CHEAP cheaper, at a less price → 1911 Sc. (Bk.)
► DEAR-BOUGHT bought at a high price, obtained at great cost → c1384
► DEARTHFUL costly, expensive; high in price → 1786 obs. exc. Sc.
► DOWNCOMING characterized by falling prices → 1663 obs.
► EYEWATERING of a price or figure: extremely high or large → 1950
► KEEN of prices: good, competitive → 1928 Sc.
► LONG of a price or offer: high, undiscounted → 1887 Amer. dial.
► LOW-TICKET having a relatively low price → colloq.
► ROCK-BOTTOM of a price: unbeatable
► SALT of expense, cost: excessive in amount; costly, expensive, high in price. dear → 1710 Sc. & Eng. dial.
► SIMPLE of price or sale: low, poor → 1436 obs.
ADVERBS
► EATHLY at an easy price, cheaply → c1225 obs.
► LARGELY for a large sum; at a high price → 1611 obs.
NOUNS
► ARM AND A LEG, AN an enormous amount of money, an exorbitant price → 1924 colloq.
► BANTER a haggling about prices → 1898 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► BATING haggling, beating down in price → 1851 Eng. dial.
► CALF-STICKING pretending that perfectly normal goods have supposedly been stolen; a greater price can thus be asked, since some customers like the idea of obtaining stolen goods → M19 UK criminals’ sl.
► DAMAGE, THE cost; price → 1755 sl.
► DAYLIGHT ROBBERY an exorbitant price → 1949 UK sl.
► DEARTH dearness, costliness, high price → 1632 obs.
► END price, rate → 1900 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► FULL WHACK a very high (esp. the highest) price or rate → 1978 Brit. sl.
► HIGH PIKE an exorbitantly high price → M19 sl.
► HOLD-UP a sale at an exorbitant price → 1913 Amer. sl. (Bk.)
► IBM DISCOUNT a price increase → 1991 US sl.
► MATES’ RATES reduced prices for friends → 1999 Aust. sl. (Bk.)
► MONKEY MONEY silly money; an excessive price to pay → 1999 UK sl.
► NITE AND LICE a price, esp. in gambling → 1935 rhyming sl.
► P the price → 1997 UK sl.
► PRICE OF A PINT any sum less than 6 pence → L19 sl.
► RANSOM an extravagant price or rent → 1882 Sc.
► SALT-COLLOP anything not of a bulky description purchased at a high price → 1904 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► SILLY MONEY a false or ridiculous price, which could be too low or too high → Brit. sl.
► SNOW AND ICE the price → 20C rhyming sl.
► SWINDLE the price or cost of something → 1835 US obs.
► TOP WHACK a very high (esp. the highest) price or rate → 1978 Brit. sl.
► VALOIR value, worth, price → c1495 obs.
► VIRE a prize specimen, a good price, etc.; something well done → 1908 Sc.
NOUNS – PERSON
► TASKER one who assesses or regulates a rate or price; e.g. of lodgings, things brought to market, etc. → 1538 obs.
PHRASES
► THEY CHARGE LIKE A WOUNDED BULL their prices are very high → 1950s Aust.
► THEY CHARGE LIKE THE LIGHT BRIGADE their prices are very high → 1950s
VERBS
► AFFORARE o set a value or price upon anything → a1250 obs.
► BADGER to barter; to banter over a bargain; to beat down in price → 1875 Eng. dial.
► BANT to beat down in price; to haggle → 1898 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► BANTER DOWN to beat down in price → 1864 Eng. dial.
► BATE to make a reduction in price, to lower a bargain; to cause to reduce → 1805 Sc. & Eng. dial.
► BEAT THE BARGAIN to endeavour to bring down the price; to chaffer for the lowest terms; to cheapen → 1640 obs.
► BEAT THE MARKET to endeavour to bring down the price; to chaffer for the lowest terms; to cheapen → 1655 obs.
► BEAT THE PRICE to endeavour to bring down the price; to chaffer for the lowest terms; to cheapen → 1592 obs.
► BE ON THE GRIND to endeavour to beat down in price → 1900 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► BRACE to charge extortionately → 1923 US sl.
► BREAK to lower prices or wages → 1911 Sc. (Bk.)
► BULL to advance in price → 1928
► CHARGE ALL OUTDOORS to charge an exorbitant price → 1935 Amer. dial.
► CHARGE LIKE A WOUNDED BULL to set excessively high prices → 1999 Aust. sl. (Bk.)
► CUT UNDER to undersell in price → 1905 Amer. dial. (Bk.)
► DEAL to conclude a bargain of purchase or sale; to agree as to price → 1888 Eng. dial.
► DEAR to make dear or expensive; to raise the price of → 1424 Sc. obs
► DEARTH to make dear in price; to raise the price of anything; to cause or produce a scarcity of or in anything → c1440 obs. exc. Sc.
► FAIK to abate the price → 1823 Sc.
► FALL to lower a price, etc.; to bring down in value, to depreciate; to depress the market → 1677 obs.
► GAZUMP to raise the price of a property after having accepted an offer by an intending buyer → 1971 Brit. sl.
► GAZUNDER to lower the offer made to the seller of a property, esp. just before the exchange of contracts, so putting pressure on the seller to lower the price or risk losing the deal → 1988 Brit. sl.
► HAGGLE-BARGAIN to argue, to wrangle over the price of anything → 1898 Sc.
► HAIN ► HEIGN ► HEYNE ► HIGHEN to raise in price → 1787 Eng. dial.
► HARDEN of prices: to advance, to grow dear, to heighten → 1721 Sc. & Eng. dial.
► IMPROVE to enhance the monetary value; to raise the price or amount of → 1548 obs.
► JAW to talk a seller into lowering his price → 1954 Amer. dial.
► JEW DOWN (derogatory & offensive) to beat someone down in price; to haggle → 1848 sl.
► KNOCK DOWN to lower prices → M19 sl.
► LET FALL to lower a price → c1475 obs.
► LOW to lessen, to diminish; to reduce a price or value → 1340
► OCKER to increase in price → a1838 Sc. obs.
► OPEN ONE’S MOUTH to ask a high price → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► PERSTINATE to set price on a thing → 1623 obs.
► POP IT ON to ask for more, esp. when raising a commodity’s price → L19 sl.
► PRICE to raise the price of, to make expensive → 1533 obs.
► RAISE THE MARKET to charge a higher price → 1535
► RATIFY to fix the rate or price of → 1511 obs.
► SALT to heighten in price → 1825 Sc.
► SOAK to charge a high price; to tax heavily; to extort money from → L19 orig. US sl.
► TAX to charge, to make a claim upon one for an amount; to set the price, to cost ..1848 Amer. dial.
► UP THE ANTE to increase the amount, to demand a higher price → L19 US sl.
► UP to raise, to increase prices, charges, etc. → 1930s sl., orig. US
► VAMPER to beat down the price (an old word used in the yearly bargainings of farm servants) → 19C Eng. dial.
Lexicophilia 