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REFERENCE

burn the candle at both ends

idiom
Meaning

To work hard night and day; to sleep late and wake up early; to overwork or overexert oneself.


Origin

Calque of French brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts. First attested in the 18th century, originally in the sense “to be doubly profligate”.

Examples
SIMPLE

You will get sick if you burn the candle at both ends.

CONTEXTUAL

He has been burning the candle at both ends to finish his degree while working full-time.

COMPLEX

By burning the candle at both ends for months, she eventually reached a state of total exhaustion that forced her to reconsider her priorities.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all ends up

    Completely; totally.

  2. 02

    burn a hole in someone's pocket

    To cause someone to spend money or be tempted to spend money.

  3. 03

    burn bread

    To cause something unfortunate to happen to (someone) by mentioning it; to jinx something for (someone).

  4. 04

    burn daylight

    To waste time.

  5. 05

    burn one's bridges

    To destroy one's path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally.

  6. 06

    burn one's fingers

    To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.

  7. 07

    burn out

    To make (someone) unavailable for work involving exposure to ionizing radiation by employing (the person) in such work until the person's accumulated exposure reaches the maximum permitted for an administrative period, typically a year.

  8. 08

    burn rubber

    To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.

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