burning the midnight oil
Working all night
Burning the midnight oil means working or studying late into the night.
The phrase evokes an era when oil lamps provided light after dark—staying up past midnight meant consuming fuel.
She's been burning the midnight oil to finish her thesis.
The expression suggests sustained effort rather than a single late night.
- overtimeWork beyond scheduled hours
- all-nighterSleepless work stretch
- late-nightOccurring after dark
- long hoursExcessive time working
- diligenceCareful, persistent effort
hard work · fatigue · effort · nocturnal · study session · crunch time · deadline pressure · concentration · exhaustion · sleep deprivation · idiom · labor · nose to the grindstone · perseverance · alertness · work ethic · candle · dedication
- labor idiomsnose to the grindstone, pull your weight, crunch time, work like a dog, elbow grease
- workjob, 9 to 5, jobs, labor, employee
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- work idiomsrat race, climb the ladder, glass ceiling, golden handshake, pink slip
- metaphors for overachievementgoing the extra mile, raising the bar, going above and beyond, overdelivering, overperforming
- learninglearning, learn, classes, instruction, studying
burning the midnight oilslacking off
Neglecting responsibilities deliberately
coasting · taking it easy · loafing · phoning it in · goofing off
burning the midnight oilhitting the hay
Going to bed
sleeping like a log · sleeping in · sawing logs · oversleeping · out like a light
burned, burning, burner, burnout, midnight, midnights, nights, nightly, nighttime