This gambling-derived idiom conveys financial ruin or extravagant expense. In poetry, it often critiques consumerism, romantic excess, or the folly of unsustainable dreams. Poets use it in satirical or cautionary verse to depict characters undone by desire—whether for love, luxury, or status. Its economic metaphor extends to emotional “bankruptcy,” where trust or hope is exhausted. The phrase’s dramatic finality suits climactic moments in narrative poetry where consequence overtakes indulgence.

This gambling-derived idiom conveys financial ruin or extravagant expense. In poetry, it critiques consumerism, romantic excess, or unsustainable dreams. Its dramatic finality suits climactic moments where consequence overtakes indulgence. Students should distinguish it from “cost an arm and a leg” (21163)—this implies total depletion, not just high cost. Related phrases include “go broke” and “clean out.” In protest poetry, it exposes predatory economics; in love poems, it warns against spending emotional capital recklessly. Effective when paired with visceral imagery: “That ring broke the bank, left us eating rice for months.”