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game is not worth the candle

game is not worth the candle {literary}

What is being done is not worth the trouble or cost; the gain is not worth the effort.

I don't want to walk so far on such a hot day. The game is not worth the candle.

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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms

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worth

[worth] See: [BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH], [FOR ALL ONE IS WORTH], [GAME IS NOT WORTH THE CANDLE], [NOT WORTH A TINKER'S DAMN], [WORTH A […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

candle

[candle] See: [BURN THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS], [GAME IS NOT WORTH THE CANDLE], [HOLD A CANDLE TO]. A Dictionary of American Idioms

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[worth one's salt] {adj. phr.} Being a good worker, or a productive person; worth what you cost. * /Mr. Brown showed that he was worth his salt as a salesman […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

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[not worth a tinker's damn] or not [worth a tinker's dam] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Not worth anything; valueless. * /As a bricklayer he was not worth a tinker's damn./ * […] A Dictionary of American Idioms

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