expression
all that effort for nothing; much ado about nothing
Idiomatic expression meaning that one's hard work resulted only in fatigue, with no reward or benefit. Often used when effort is wasted or unrecognized.
徹夜で準備したのに会議が中止になって、まさに骨折り損のくたびれ儲けだった。
I stayed up all night preparing, but the meeting was canceled—it was truly all that effort for nothing.
A shorter form meaning 'wasted effort'; 骨折り損のくたびれ儲け is the full proverbial expression emphasizing both the wasted effort and the resulting fatigue.
A proverbial phrase combining 骨折り損 (wasted effort) and くたびれ儲け (earning only fatigue). The exact origin is uncertain, but it has been used since at least the Edo period to express the futility of hard work that yields no reward.