RussianИгра не стоит свеч (Igra ne stoit svech)
Meaning: The effort or money spent won't be repaid by the result.
Literally: The game isn't worth the candles
Example: “Чинить этот старый телевизор — игра не стоит свеч, проще купить новый.” — Repairing this old TV isn't worth it; the game isn't worth the candle, and it's easier to buy a new one.
English equivalent: The game is not worth the candle
Equivalents in other languages
French: Le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle Literally: The game is not worth the candle
English: the game is not worth the candle
Spanish: Sale más caro el collar que el perro Literally: The collar costs more than the dog
Italian: Il gioco non vale la candela Literally: The game isn't worth the candle
Japanese: 労多くして功少なし (Rō ōkushite kō sukunashi) Literally: Much toil, little merit
Dutch: Het sop is de kool niet waard Literally: The broth isn't worth the cabbage
Polish: Gra niewarta świeczki Literally: The game isn't worth the candle
Chinese: 得不偿失 (Dé bù cháng shī) Literally: The gain doesn't make up for the loss
Origin: A loan translation of the French le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle. Russian phrase dictionaries say it came from card players' talk: the winnings were too small to pay for the candles burned during the game. Michelson's 19th-century phrase dictionary quotes the French line from Corneille's comedy Le Menteur (1644), and Vladimir Dahl recorded eta igra ne stoit svech among Russian proverbs.
More Russian idioms
- Не вешай лапшу на уши (Ne veshay lapshu na ushi) Don't lie to me; stop trying to deceive me.
- Когда рак на горе свистнет (Kogda rak na gore svistnet) When pigs fly; never.
- Медвежья услуга (Medvezhya usluga) Help that actually makes things worse.
- Тянуть кота за хвост (Tyanut' kota za khvost) To procrastinate; to drag something out.
- Делать из мухи слона (Delat' iz mukhi slona) To blow things way out of proportion.
- душа нараспашку (dusha naraspashku) Extremely open, trusting, or emotionally vulnerable with others.
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