Welcome to English in a Minute.
America, the land of Hollywood, can sometimes be too concerned with things looking pretty.
This is going to cost a pretty penny.
Is she worried about making their money look good? Sometimes American English does not make any sense.
A: Did you see that car?
B: Oh, my gosh! That car is awesome.
A: Yes, I bet it is really fast.
B: That car must have cost a pretty penny!
Ah, it means that something costs a lot of money. Some say the phrase came from a special coin a British king had made long ago.
American English is very descriptive, and sometimes we put a colorful word in front of a noun to get our meaning across.
And that's English in a Minute.