"cheap at half the price" meaning in English

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  "etymology_text": "Deliberate transformation of a street trader's cry, cheap at twice the price (informing customers that what he was selling would still be cheap even if it cost twice as much), into cheap at half the price which would imply that the price was excessive.",
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  "lang_code": "en",
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          "ref": "2007, Gordon Hughes, Hard Drive!: As the Disc Turns, page 76:",
          "text": "After breakfast, Shirley and Gordon walked down the street to a shopping mall to look at fancy clothes and high priced jewelry. \"Cheap at half the price,\" Gordon observed. Shirley smiled.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      "glosses": [
        "Quite expensive."
      ],
      "id": "en-cheap_at_half_the_price-en-phrase-4STzJ2mq",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(humorous) Quite expensive."
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          "ref": "2001, Roy Holland, C. H. Muller, Flakes of Dark and Light: Tales from Southern Africa and Elsewhere, page 110:",
          "text": "After he'd convinced you you'd only got one leg – the left – he'd sell you a gross of right-footed shoes. \"Cheap at half the price! A real bargain.\" Afterwards, you'd feel you'd been done a favour to, and obligingly walk off with a limp.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Satisfactorily cheap."
      ],
      "id": "en-cheap_at_half_the_price-en-phrase-RW1g7atD",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(from misunderstanding) Satisfactorily cheap."
      ],
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  "word": "cheap at half the price"
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  "etymology_text": "Deliberate transformation of a street trader's cry, cheap at twice the price (informing customers that what he was selling would still be cheap even if it cost twice as much), into cheap at half the price which would imply that the price was excessive.",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
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          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Quite expensive."
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        "(humorous) Quite expensive."
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          "text": "After he'd convinced you you'd only got one leg – the left – he'd sell you a gross of right-footed shoes. \"Cheap at half the price! A real bargain.\" Afterwards, you'd feel you'd been done a favour to, and obligingly walk off with a limp.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Satisfactorily cheap."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(from misunderstanding) Satisfactorily cheap."
      ],
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        "from misunderstanding"
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