Meaning of BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL
BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL Idiom
Burn the Midnight Oil is an idiom that means to work late into the night, especially to complete a task or meet a deadline.
Working Late: When someone “burns the midnight oil,” it signifies that they are working diligently or intensively during the late hours of the night. This could involve studying for exams, finishing a project, or meeting a deadline for work.
Persistence and Dedication: The expression suggests a high level of persistence, dedication, and commitment to achieving a goal or completing a task. It implies sacrificing sleep or leisure time in favor of prioritizing work or responsibilities.
Sense of Urgency: Burning the midnight oil often reflects a sense of urgency or pressure to accomplish something within a limited time frame. It may be driven by deadlines, the need to catch up on unfinished work, or a desire to make progress on a project.
Productivity and Focus: Despite the late hour, burning the midnight oil can be a productive time for some individuals, as there are fewer distractions and interruptions compared to daytime hours. It allows for focused and uninterrupted work, leading to increased productivity.
Burn the Midnight Oil is an idiomatic expression that conveys the act of working late into the night with persistence, dedication, and a sense of urgency. It reflects a commitment to accomplishing tasks or meeting deadlines, often resulting in increased productivity and focus during the late hours.
BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL in a sentence
- The deadline was looming, so he had to burn the midnight oil to finish the project on time.
- She sacrificed sleep to burn the midnight oil and prepare for the upcoming exam.
- Burning the midnight oil became a regular occurrence as they worked tirelessly to launch their startup.
- Despite the exhaustion, they were determined to burn the midnight oil and perfect their presentation for the conference.
- Burning the midnight oil paid off when they finally secured the deal they had been working towards for months.
- He knew he had to burn the midnight oil if he wanted to meet his writing deadline.
- Burning the midnight oil was a common practice for the team during crunch times at the office.
- They were accustomed to burning the midnight oil in the final stages of production to ensure the product’s quality.
Origin of BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL
The idiom “burn the midnight oil” has its origins in the practice of burning oil lamps to continue working late into the night. Before the advent of electricity, people relied on oil lamps for illumination, and burning the oil late into the night allowed them to work or study long after sunset.
Metaphorically, “burning the midnight oil” refers to staying up late or working diligently into the late hours of the night to complete a task or accomplish a goal. It implies dedication, hard work, and persistence, especially in the face of deadlines or pressing responsibilities. This idiom has been used in English since at least the 17th century and remains a common expression today, particularly in contexts related to productivity, commitment, and perseverance.
Synonyms
- Work late
- Stay up late working
- Pull an all-nighter
- Work into the wee hours
- Grind away
- Keep at it
- Toil late into the night
- Labor through the night
Antonyms
- Rest and relax
- Take it easy
- Clock out early
- Finish at a reasonable hour
- Go to bed early
- Leisurely pace
- Regular working hours
- Conventional work schedule
Related
- Burning the candle at both ends
- The graveyard shift
- 24/7 work ethic
- Working around the clock
- Pulling overtime
- Putting in extra hours
- Working tirelessly
- Working like a dog
🌐 🇬🇧 BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL in other languages
| Spanish 🇪🇸 | Quema el Aceite de Medianoche |
| French 🇫🇷 | Brûlez l’Huile de Minuit |
| German 🇩🇪 | Verbrenne das Mitternachtsöl |
| Chinese (simpl) 🇨🇳 | 燃烧午夜油 |
| Chinese (trad) 🇨🇳 | 燃燒午夜油 |
| Italian 🇮🇹 | Brucia l’olio di mezzanotte |
| Portuguese 🇵🇹 | Queime o óleo da meia-noite |
| Dutch 🇳🇱 | Verbrand de middernachtolie |
| Swedish 🇸🇪 | Bränn midnattsoljan |
| Norwegian 🇳🇴 | Brenn Midnattsoljen |
| Finnish 🇫🇮 | Burn the Midnight Oil |
| Romanian 🇷🇴 | Arde uleiul de la miezul nopții |
| Polish 🇵🇱 | Burn the Midnight Oil |
| Hungarian 🇭🇺 | Burn the Midnight Oil |
| Czech 🇨🇿 | Burn The Midnight Oil |
| Bulgarian 🇧🇬 | Изгорете среднощното масло |
| Ukrainian 🇺🇦 | Спалити Опівнічне масло |
| Russian 🇷🇺 | Сжечь Полуночное масло |
| Turkish 🇹🇷 | Gece Yarısı Yağını Yak |
| Azerbaijani 🇦🇿 | Gecə yarısı yağı yandırın |
| Armenian 🇦🇲 | Այրեք կեսգիշերի յուղը |
| Arabic 🇸🇦 | حرق زيت منتصف الليل |
| Hebrew 🇮🇱 | לשרוף את שמן חצות |
| Urdu 🇵🇰 | آدھی رات کا تیل جلا دو |
| Farsi/Persian 🇮🇷 | روغن نیمه شب را بسوزانید |
| Hindi 🇮🇳 | आधी रात का तेल जलाएं |
| Bengalese 🇧🇩 | মধ্যরাতের তেল পুড়িয়ে ফেলুন |
| Marathi 🇮🇳 | मध्यरात्रीचे तेल जाळून टाका |
| Telugu 🇮🇳 | అర్ధరాత్రి నూనెను కాల్చండి |
| Tamil 🇮🇳 | நள்ளிரவு எண்ணெயை எரிக்கவும் |
| Gujarati 🇮🇳 | મધરાત તેલ બર્ન |
| Kannada 🇮🇳 | ಮಿಡ್ನೈಟ್ ಆಯಿಲ್ ಬರ್ನ್ |
| Odia 🇮🇳 | ମଧ୍ୟରାତ୍ରି ତେଲ ଜଳାନ୍ତୁ | |
| Malayalam 🇮🇳 | മിഡ്നൈറ്റ് ഓയിൽ ബേൺ ചെയ്യുക |
| Punjabi 🇮🇳 | ਅੱਧੀ ਰਾਤ ਦਾ ਤੇਲ ਸਾੜੋ |
| Sinhalese 🇱🇰 | මධ් යම රාත් රී තෙල් පුච්චන්න |
| Nepali 🇳🇵 | मध्यरातको तेल जलाउनुहोस् |
| Burmese 🇲🇲 | ညသန်းခေါင်ဆီကိုမီးရှို့ပါ။ |
| Thai 🇹🇭 | เผาน้ำมันเที่ยงคืน |
| Vietnamese 🇻🇳 | Đốt Dầu Nửa Đêm |
| Malay 🇲🇾 | Bakar minyak tengah malam |
| Indonesian 🇮🇩 | Bakar Minyak Tengah Malam |
| Tagalog 🇵🇭 | Sunugin ang langis ng hatinggabi |
| Japanese 🇯🇵 | 真夜中の油を燃やす |
| Korean 🇰🇷 | 자정 기름을 태워라 |
| Oromo 🇪🇹 | Zayitii Halkan Walakkaa Gubuu |
| Somali 🇸🇴 | Gubi Saliida Saqda dhexe |
| Amharic 🇪🇹 | እኩለ ሌሊት ላይ ዘይት ያቃጥሉ ። |
| Swahili 🇹🇿 | Choma Mafuta Ya Usiku wa Manane |
| Yoruba 🇳🇬 | Jo Epo Oganjo |
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