Do you? Well, do you?!

You know the expression “I’d give my right arm/left eye/whatever for…”  You do know, don’t you.  It’s used to indicate you’d really like something.  “I’d give my right hand to own a Ferrari.”  Not that I would, and I’ll tell you why.

In the first place, I don’t really want a Ferrari.  It was just an example.  I would offer no more than superfluous body parts for a Ferrari, such as nail clippings.  Things I’m going to get rid of anyway.

In the second place, whenever I unthinkingly go into the first part of the expression, “I would give my…” I always pause, for just a moment, to think of something I can actually get along without.  I’d never offer either of my hands or arms.  Legs are also too essential to go.  Toes, you’d think, are dispensable, but you have to pick carefully – big toe could be a nuisance, unbalancing you.  So little toes are also often on the altar to whatever deity is listening and is short of a toe.  A few moments ago I used the expression as I was thinking about something, and after careful consideration offered my right front tooth.  That’s because it’s a crown which is cracked and needs replacing anyway.

One could reason this shows I don’t really want these things I profess to desire so much.  However, in the back of my mind I always know what I’m going to achieve will be gained through hard work, luck and talent, not by offering body parts.  But if I sigh and say: “Boy, I’d give the very tip of my right ear to get in with that publisher,” and a genie poofs into existence from thin air, says: “Wish granted!” and disappears, I won’t be hopping around on one leg or unable to keep touch-typing because I have no left pinkie any more.  I’d shrug and go answer the call of the editor who just suddenly decided he wanted to dial this random number that popped into his head and offer a gazillion euro contract to the woman he was sure would answer the phone.  After all, I can hide that missing tip with my hair.

Do you do this, think of what you offer when using that expression, or not really?

Just wondering. (c: