half the fun, trouble, etc. of something

half the fun of (something)

Something that significantly contributes to the enjoyment or pleasure of something. It takes some time to bake a cake, but I love measuring and mixing all the ingredients—that's half the fun of it for me. A: "Kourtney seriously believes that half the fun of traveling is packing." B: "It kind of makes sense for her, though—she's super organized and doesn't procrastinate the way you and I do." Decorating for Christmas is half the fun of it for Mom, whereas I just enjoy the finished product when she's done.

See also: fun, half, of

half the trouble of (something)

Something that significantly contributes to the tediousness or difficulty of something. Going through security at the airport is half the trouble of flying. See, that's half the trouble of making a dish like this—all the random specialty ingredients you need! Half the trouble of getting the kids out the door in the winter is remembering all the gear they need—coats, snow boots, hats, mittens, scarves!

See also: half, of, trouble

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

half the ˈfun, ˈtrouble, etc. of something

(informal) much or a great deal of the enjoyment, etc. of something: Half the pleasure of coming home is finding out what’s been happening while you were away. ♢ ‘The team should play better with a new manager.’ ‘That’s half the trouble — everybody expects too much of him.’

See also: half, of, something

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017