Wednesday's Random Slang-o-rama: The game is not worth the candle

I bumped up against the phrase the game is not worth the candle, and although I more or less understood it to mean "the game" (whatever it may be) isn't worth pursuing for whatever reason, I wasn't at all sure about the origin or timeframe.

So, off we go, on a little idiomatic journey....
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My well-used copy of The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer has this to say:

The game is not worth the candle. The returns from an activity or enterprise do not warrant the time, money, or effort required. This expression, which began as a translation of a term used by the French essayist Michel de Montaigne in 1580, alludes to gambling by candlelight, which involved the expense of illumination. If the winnings were not sufficient, they did not warrant the expense. Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century.

The Phrase Finder also has a nice post about not worth the candle. The first known printed record of that phrase in English appeared in Sir William Temple's Works, circa 1690: "Perhaps the Play is not worth the Candle."

So, let me know: Was this little etymological diversion to your day sufficiently... illuminating? ;-)

If the hand you're dealt isn't worth the candle, just hold those cards a little closer to the flame.
By Gerrit Dou - Web Gallery of Art:   Image  Info about artwork, Public Domain, Link