Burn the midnight oil
📖 Meanings
- 1.
To work tirelessly, especially late at night
- 2.
To work on something for a long time
- 3.
To work hard and stay up very late
- 4.
To stay up working, especially when the work is tedious
💬 Examples
- 1.
She was burning the midnight oil to study for her exams.
- 2.
He's been burning the midnight oil to get his business off the ground.
- 3.
You look tired, have you been burning the midnight oil?
- 4.
If you burn the midnight oil night after night, you'll wear yourself out.
🗞️ Etymology
- 1.
The phrase is derived from the fact that before the invention of electricity, people used oil lamps to light their homes at night.
- 2.
In the 17th century, 'burning the midnight oil' was a literal description of the act of working late into the night.
- 3.
The phrase was first recorded in English in a poem by Francis Quarles in 1635.
- 4.
The phrase became metaphorical over time, referring to any kind of late-night work, not just that done by the light of an oil lamp.
🔁 Synonyms
- 1.
Work late
- 2.
Pull an all-nighter
- 3.
Work overtime
- 4.
Stay up late
- 5.
Work into the wee hours
🌀 Variants
- 1.
Burn the candle at both ends
- 2.
Work into the night
- 3.
Toil till late
- 4.
Keep the oil burning
- 5.
Work till the crack of dawn