for one's pains

Idioms  

1. In return for the trouble one has taken, as in And all he got for his pains was a failing grade. This expression is nearly always used ironically to indicate that the return was not appropriate to the effort made. [First half of 1500s]

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Example Sentences

It is tiresome to sit night after night and get nothing for one's pains.

From The Shadow World by Garland, Hamlin