I got it for a song
I bought very cheaply
TRANSLATION
I got it for a song = für 'n Appel und 'n Ei --- GOOGLE INDEX I got it for a song: approximately 20,000 Google hits for a song: approximately 12,000,000
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Bought FOR A SONG: $3 bowl goes for $2.2m at auction of Chinese relics.
A simple white bowl bought at an American garage or "tag" sale for $3 has sold at a New York City auction for more than $2.22m after it was recognised as a rare Chinese relic.
The Guardian
A simple white bowl bought at an American garage or "tag" sale for $3 has sold at a New York City auction for more than $2.22m after it was recognised as a rare Chinese relic.
The Guardian
Did you
know?
for a song
idiom
- very cheaply
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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WORD ORIGIN
With online music relatively cheap these days, it would be easy to believe that this is the origin of the expression "for a song." That's not the case. The phrase is much older than digital music, MP3 players and computers in general. It comes from the simple idea of singing a song in exchange for something, instead of paying money for it. It is sometimes phrased as "for a song and a dance," although not quite as frequently.
Some musicians, in an effort to get their career off the ground, are willing to perform in a pub or bar in exchange for a free meal or a couple of beers. Others play on the street for "spare change" or simply in the hope of getting discovered. From time to time, the chance discovery does happen, followed by fame and fortune.
Ted Hawkins was a country/blues singer/songwriter from Mississippi who spent years playing on the sidewalks and beaches of Venice, California "for a song." He was discovered several times by different music producers, but because of personal problems failed to make it big. In 1995, he agreed to make an album for Geffen Records. It drew national attention and sold a respectable number of copies. Hawkins then started touring, but unfortunately died of a stroke only a few months after the album was released.
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SYNONYMS
I got it for next to nothing, it was a bargain, it was a steal, I got it dirt cheap, it was a real buy
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION
Say something like:
"The car was in need of repair, that's why I got it for a song."
idiom
- very cheaply
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
---
WORD ORIGIN
With online music relatively cheap these days, it would be easy to believe that this is the origin of the expression "for a song." That's not the case. The phrase is much older than digital music, MP3 players and computers in general. It comes from the simple idea of singing a song in exchange for something, instead of paying money for it. It is sometimes phrased as "for a song and a dance," although not quite as frequently.
Some musicians, in an effort to get their career off the ground, are willing to perform in a pub or bar in exchange for a free meal or a couple of beers. Others play on the street for "spare change" or simply in the hope of getting discovered. From time to time, the chance discovery does happen, followed by fame and fortune.
Ted Hawkins was a country/blues singer/songwriter from Mississippi who spent years playing on the sidewalks and beaches of Venice, California "for a song." He was discovered several times by different music producers, but because of personal problems failed to make it big. In 1995, he agreed to make an album for Geffen Records. It drew national attention and sold a respectable number of copies. Hawkins then started touring, but unfortunately died of a stroke only a few months after the album was released.
---
SYNONYMS
I got it for next to nothing, it was a bargain, it was a steal, I got it dirt cheap, it was a real buy
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION
Say something like:
"The car was in need of repair, that's why I got it for a song."
