"burn daylight" meaning in All languages combined

See burn daylight on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Forms: burns daylight [present, singular, third-person], burning daylight [participle, present], burned daylight [participle, past], burned daylight [past], burnt daylight [participle, past], burnt daylight [past]
Etymology: Originally a reference to burning candles during the day. Head templates: {{en-verb|*|past2=burnt daylight}} burn daylight (third-person singular simple present burns daylight, present participle burning daylight, simple past and past participle burned daylight or burnt daylight)
  1. To use artificial light during the daytime when one could simply use the sunlight. Categories (topical): Light
    Sense id: en-burn_daylight-en-verb-2UZBe-t1 Disambiguation of Light: 100 0 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 78 22 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 73 27 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 82 18
  2. (idiomatic) To waste time. Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-burn_daylight-en-verb-ac~Z6-on

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_text": "Originally a reference to burning candles during the day.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "burns daylight",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burning daylight",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burned daylight",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burned daylight",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burnt daylight",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burnt daylight",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "past2": "burnt daylight"
      },
      "expansion": "burn daylight (third-person singular simple present burns daylight, present participle burning daylight, simple past and past participle burned daylight or burnt daylight)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "78 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "73 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Light",
          "orig": "en:Light",
          "parents": [
            "Energy",
            "Nature",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1819, Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, page 364:",
          "text": "O, Madam, no candles yet, I beseech you ; don't let us burn daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1835, Charles Lamb, Elia, page 71:",
          "text": "It beginning to grow a little duskish, Candlemas lustily bawled out for lights, which was opposed by all the Days, who protested against burning daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1879, George MacDonald, The Marquis of Lossie:",
          "text": "The place was but scantily lighted, for the community at present could ill afford to burn daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, A. Roger Ekirch, At Day's Close: A History of Nighttime:",
          "text": "High on the list of iniquities was “burning daylight,” resorting to artificial light unnecessarily during the day.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To use artificial light during the daytime when one could simply use the sunlight."
      ],
      "id": "en-burn_daylight-en-verb-2UZBe-t1",
      "links": [
        [
          "artificial",
          "artificial"
        ],
        [
          "light",
          "light"
        ],
        [
          "daytime",
          "daytime"
        ],
        [
          "sunlight",
          "sunlight"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet:",
          "text": "Mercutio. Come, we burn daylight, ho! Romeo. Nay, that's not so. Mercutio. I mean, sir, in delay. We waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Tom Thunderhorse, Charlie Goodbear, page 47:",
          "text": "Brad calls out, “Let's not burn daylight when there's work to be done!”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Terry C. Johnston, Crack in the Sky: A Novel, page 267:",
          "text": "Said he knows how Jack hates to burn daylight—so he'll be here afore you pull out.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Douglas MacKinnon, Vengeance Is Mine:",
          "text": "Now, let's head out, ma'am. We're burning daylight,”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Cheryl Kimball, Start Your Own Self Publishing Business:",
          "text": "You will find that the time goes quickly, so don't burn daylight—get marketing!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Patrick McGlade, Six Miles Per Hour, page 191:",
          "text": "Without anything to look forward to that night, I settled into a very slow pace just trying to burn daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To waste time."
      ],
      "id": "en-burn_daylight-en-verb-ac~Z6-on",
      "links": [
        [
          "waste time",
          "waste time"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To waste time."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "burn daylight"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Light"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Originally a reference to burning candles during the day.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "burns daylight",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burning daylight",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burned daylight",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burned daylight",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burnt daylight",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "burnt daylight",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "past2": "burnt daylight"
      },
      "expansion": "burn daylight (third-person singular simple present burns daylight, present participle burning daylight, simple past and past participle burned daylight or burnt daylight)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1819, Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, page 364:",
          "text": "O, Madam, no candles yet, I beseech you ; don't let us burn daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1835, Charles Lamb, Elia, page 71:",
          "text": "It beginning to grow a little duskish, Candlemas lustily bawled out for lights, which was opposed by all the Days, who protested against burning daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1879, George MacDonald, The Marquis of Lossie:",
          "text": "The place was but scantily lighted, for the community at present could ill afford to burn daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, A. Roger Ekirch, At Day's Close: A History of Nighttime:",
          "text": "High on the list of iniquities was “burning daylight,” resorting to artificial light unnecessarily during the day.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To use artificial light during the daytime when one could simply use the sunlight."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "artificial",
          "artificial"
        ],
        [
          "light",
          "light"
        ],
        [
          "daytime",
          "daytime"
        ],
        [
          "sunlight",
          "sunlight"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet:",
          "text": "Mercutio. Come, we burn daylight, ho! Romeo. Nay, that's not so. Mercutio. I mean, sir, in delay. We waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Tom Thunderhorse, Charlie Goodbear, page 47:",
          "text": "Brad calls out, “Let's not burn daylight when there's work to be done!”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Terry C. Johnston, Crack in the Sky: A Novel, page 267:",
          "text": "Said he knows how Jack hates to burn daylight—so he'll be here afore you pull out.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Douglas MacKinnon, Vengeance Is Mine:",
          "text": "Now, let's head out, ma'am. We're burning daylight,”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Cheryl Kimball, Start Your Own Self Publishing Business:",
          "text": "You will find that the time goes quickly, so don't burn daylight—get marketing!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Patrick McGlade, Six Miles Per Hour, page 191:",
          "text": "Without anything to look forward to that night, I settled into a very slow pace just trying to burn daylight.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To waste time."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "waste time",
          "waste time"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To waste time."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "burn daylight"
}

Download raw JSONL data for burn daylight meaning in All languages combined (3.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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