Idiom
smell of the lamp
Meaning
To bear marks of great study and labor.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“His essay clearly shows the smell of the lamp.”
“The professor praised the student's research, noting that every page carried the distinct smell of the lamp.”
“The intricate legal argument was so meticulously crafted that it clearly bore the smell of the lamp, reflecting years of exhaustive study.”
Examples
simple
“His essay clearly shows the smell of the lamp.”
contextual
“The professor praised the student's research, noting that every page carried the distinct smell of the lamp.”
complex
“The intricate legal argument was so meticulously crafted that it clearly bore the smell of the lamp, reflecting years of exhaustive study.”
Origin
Suggesting work done throughout the night.
Key words
Related idioms
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