pay too dearly for (one's) whistle



pay too dearly for (one's) whistle

To spend a lot of money or effort on something that is ultimately disappointing or unfulfilling. The phrase refers to a story by Benjamin Franklin about a boy who wanted a whistle so much that he overpaid for it and soon lost interest in it. I worked night and day to get this position, but now I have very few friends—I guess I paid too dearly for my whistle.
See also: dearly, pay, whistle

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Tifawt-Northern African, Berber
Guilhermegee-LYER-məPortuguese
SeppZEPGerman
Abhay-Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Athena[ə'θi:nə]
Feroz-Urdu