le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle
French
Alternative forms
Etymology
Literally, “the game is not worth the candle.” By analogy to a card game whose potential reward is so low that it is not worth lighting the candle needed to illuminate the table.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lə ʒø n‿ɑ̃ vo pa la ʃɑ̃.dɛl/, /lə ʒø n‿ɑ̃ vo pɑ la ʃɑ̃.dɛl/
Phrase
le jeu n’en vaut pas la chandelle
- it's not worth it; there's no point; the game is not worth the candle
Descendants
- → English: the game is not worth the candle (calque)
- → Italian: il gioco non vale la candela (calque)
- → Russian: игра́ не сто́ит свеч (igrá ne stóit sveč) (calque)
- → Polish: gra nie jest warta świeczki (calque)
- → Ukrainian: гра не варта свічок (hra ne varta svičok) (calque)
See also
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.