Phrase info

to the tune of

Meaning

(literally) Fitting the melody of.
The lyrics were written to the tune of "Amazing Grace".

(idiomatic) Roughly; about; to the approximate sum or extent of.
The damage that he did to his car was to the tune of two grand.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Examples

Life is water, dancing to the tune of macro molecules. Albert Szent-Györgyi

Let the sky rain potatoes," said a musing voice. "Let it thunder to the tune of Greensleeves. Cassandra Clare

Sung to the tune of O Christmas Tree O woe is me, O woe is me, I used to have a hamster tree, But it was eaten by a newt, And now I have no cuddly fruit, O woe is me, O woe is me, I used to have a hamster tree! Clive Barker

I should be able to get the alligators to dance to the tune of the pan pipe. Louis-Ferdinand Céline

This Congress has promised all manner of border security and port security to the tune of billions of dollars... yet we have - to date - funded our promises for port security at only $900 million. That's quite a distance between what we say and what we actually do. Solomon Ortiz

Most British people are keen to remain in a European free trade zone; and most EU states are keen to keep us there, because we buy from them more than we sell to them to the tune of £40 million per day. Daniel Hannan

Words in the phrase

Close letter words and terms