Etymology Journal · B
Burning the midnight oil
Meaning
- To stay up very late working on a task or studying. It implies a sense of dedicated effort that continues long after the rest of the world has gone to sleep.
Earnest, industrious
Used in a sentence
- I have been burning the midnight oil to finish this report by morning.
- He is always burning the midnight oil before his big exams.
- Don't burn the midnight oil too much, or you will be exhausted tomorrow.
The backstory
This phrase dates back to the era when people used oil lamps for lighting. If you were up late working, you were literally burning through your supply of lamp oil.
Heard in
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