is this saying right

[pjbintley]

the saying: cheap at half the price makes no sense or have i got it wrong. please tell me what the score is with this saying. thanks

[Quizmonster]

Click here here for an expert's view.

[pingping]

i thought the proper saying was "cheap at twice the price" which seems to make more sense in the arena in which this phrase is generally used (i.e sales)

[Quizmonster]

That's pretty well exactly what Michael Quinion says in the linked web-page, isn' t it? Namely, that 'cheap at half the price' is probably just a humorous inversion of 'cheap at twice the price'...a typical London street-trader's cry.

[jno]

polite of Quinion to attribute it to wit; I've always rather suspected innumeracy had more to do with it. Anyway, you're quite right, pjbintley