go to the trouble
To make an extra or deliberate effort (to do something). Oh, you didn't have to go to the trouble of preparing the guest bedroom for me—I could have just slept on the couch! I knew I should do the dishes before going to bed, but I was too tired to go to the trouble. A: "Can I make you some lunch?" B: "Ah, don't go to the trouble—I'm too nervous to eat anyway."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
go to the trouble (of doing something)
and go to the trouble (to do something); go to the bother (of doing something); go to the bother (to do something)to endure the effort or bother of doing something. I really don't want to go to the trouble to cook. Should I go to the bother of cooking something for her to eat? Don't go to the trouble. She can eat a sandwich.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
go to the trouble
Also,
take the trouble;
go to the bother or the expense . Make the effort or spend the money for something. For example,
He went to the trouble of calling every single participant, or
She took the trouble to iron all the clothes, or
Don't go to the bother of writing them, or
They went to the expense of hiring a limousine. [Second half of 1800s] Also see
put oneself out.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.