Deserving of one's time and effort; sufficiently valuable or beneficial to justify the investment of attention or energy.
This phrase developed in the 16th century from the concept of 'while' meaning a period of time. The expression originally meant that something would provide adequate compensation or benefit for the time spent on it, treating time as a valuable commodity that should be well-invested.
The phrase treats time as currency - something that can be 'spent' wisely or poorly. This economic metaphor for time reflects a cultural shift toward viewing time as a finite, valuable resource that should generate returns on investment, much like money.
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