come at/with a price
as in the actual cost of installing and maintaining the irrigation system.
If it read “came at a price” you might think, “well, obviously”
Still, I’m not 100% sure that “with a price” is what is called for here.
PS.
Interestingly ewie said the exact opposite. I’d trust him on this, since English is presumably his native language
My gut feeling is that “at a price” is the established phrase, but the writer may here have intended to distance the irrigation from the price that had to be paid for it because its consequences only became apparent much later. i.e. there was a price to be paid for it. I’d say they’re not interchangable, but I haven’t got a strong feeling that “with a price” is a blunder here. Somehow I think it might have to do with it being these long-term effects and not the immediate costas in the actual cost of installing and maintaining the irrigation system.If it read “came at a price” you might think, “well, obviously”Still, I’m not 100% sure that “with a price” is what is called for here.PS.Interestingly ewie said the exact opposite. I’d trust him on this, since English is presumably his native language
