burn the midnight oil
Work through night
To burn the midnight oil is to work or study late into the night, from the era when artificial light required lamp oil.
The phrase suggests dedicated effort beyond normal hours: She burned the midnight oil to finish her thesis.
The image is of someone laboring by lamplight while others sleep.
- cramForce into tight space
- final examsCumulative end-of-term assessments
- overworkToil to exhaustion
- long hoursExcessive time working
- pull an all-nighterWork without sleeping
grind · nose to the grindstone · study · crunch time · bear down · perseverance · burnout · sleep deprivation · coffee break · candle · burn the candle at both ends · work like a dog · nocturnal · night owl · lamp · deadline · exhaustion · industriousness
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- Old Idiomsbeyond the pale, hue and cry, scot-free, knight in shining armor, eat humble pie
- learninglearning, learn, classes, instruction, studying
- perseverancepersist, never give up, tenacity, hang in there, endurance
burn the midnight oilslack off
Reduce one's effort
goof off · phone it in · take it easy · knock off early · coast
burn the midnight oilsleep like a log
Doze very soundly
sleep like a baby · sawing logs · early to bed · call it a night
burn the midnight oilkick back
Rest without effort
put one's feet up · procrastinate · stop and smell the roses · unwind · take a break