What it means
In British English, dear can mean expensive, not sweet. You use it when the price tag's doing a little daylight robbery and you want to point it out without going full meltdown. It often comes with a wince, a laugh, or a proper moan. Very common for food, drinks, rent, tickets, the lot.
Usage examples
"Six fifty for a tiny bacon roll at the station and they still want 50p for sauce. Bit dear, mate, I’ll pass."
"Four quid for a coffee? That is a bit dear, I will just have a glass of tap water and sulk quietly."
"Twelve quid for a pint and a packet of crisps? That's getting dear now."
"Bit dear for a haircut, that. I'd want a head massage and a life upgrade thrown in."
"Eight quid for a sausage roll and a can? Bit dear, that. I'm not remortgaging the afternoon."
Where it comes from
This sense is properly old-school English. Dear comes from Old English dēore, which meant precious, valuable, and costly. That price-tag meaning stuck around in British speech, so if something's dear, it isn't lovely, it's charging your wallet rent just to look at it.
Other ways to say it
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