the game is not worth the candle

Calque of French le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle.

the game is not worth the candle

1. The process or result is not worth the effort.

• not worth the candle

• “the game is not worth the candle”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “is the game worth the candle?”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “the game is/is not worth the candle” (US) / “the game is/is not worth the candle” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “the game is not worth the candle”, in Collins English Dictionary.