king's ransom

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king's ransom

Where it comes from

From the exceptionally high ransom demanded for the return of a kidnapped or captured king.

noun king's ransoms · kings' ransoms

idiomatic A very large sum of money. "But to yonder pavilion . . . the moon is glimmering on the gilded ball which crowns its roof, and which is worth a king's ransom."
Similar: an arm and a leg, fortune, pretty penny

Translations

Every language

noun very large sum of money

Русский	большо́й куш bolʹšój kuš

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MLA

"king's ransom." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/king's%20ransom. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

king's ransom. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/king's%20ransom

Chicago

"king's ransom." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/king's%20ransom.

BibTeX

@misc{king_s_ransom_2026,
  title = {king's ransom},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/king's%20ransom},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}