What does “Il gioco non vale la candela” mean?
Il gioco non vale la candela
Word for word
The game isn't worth the candle
What it really means
The result does not justify the effort or the cost. Said when something takes far more work than the benefit warrants.
How we say it in English
The game isn't worth the candle — English has the very same idiom, borrowed from French
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Create a free accountOther Italian idioms
Fare il passo più lungo della gamba
To bite off more than you can chew
Buttare i soldi dalla finestra
To throw money down the drain
Fare i salti mortali
To bend over backwards
Lavorare come un mulo
To work like a dog — or to work your fingers to the bone
Andare in fumo
To go up in smoke — the same image, word for word
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"