See burn the midnight oil in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
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"etymology_text": "Originally referring to the act of burning oil in lamps for light and safety. The noun midnight oil is attested from mid 17th c.",
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"form": "burns the midnight oil",
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{
"text": "He was burning the midnight oil to finish his paper.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "She was burning the midnight oil to finish her part of the project.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "2013, Phil Cousineau, Burning the Midnight Oil: Illuminating Words for the Long Night's Journey Into Day, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:",
"text": "You worked at whatever task you were engaged in — churning out steel nuts for the car companies or churning out essays in college — until you were done, even if you had to burn the midnight oil. No excuses, no whining, no cheating.",
"type": "quote"
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],
"glosses": [
"To work studiously, especially late into the night."
],
"id": "en-burn_the_midnight_oil-en-verb-nwzAkx21",
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[
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[
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"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To work studiously, especially late into the night."
],
"related": [
{
"word": "candlewasting"
},
{
"word": "burn the candle at both ends"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "elucubrate"
},
{
"word": "pull an all-nighter"
}
],
"tags": [
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"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "أشعل فانوس الليل"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "cremar-se les celles"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "開夜車"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"english": "to drive the night car",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "kāi yèchē",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "开夜车"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "焚膏繼晷"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "féngāojìguǐ",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "焚膏继晷"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "挑燈夜戰"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "tiǎodēngyèzhàn",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "挑灯夜战"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovat dlouho do noci"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "ponocovat"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovat dnem i nocí"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "tot laat in de nacht werken"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "het nachtje doordoen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "valvoa yötä myöten"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "travailler tard le soir"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "bûcher"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "bis spät in die Nacht arbeiten"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "die Nacht zum Tage machen"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "work through the night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine",
"plural",
"singular"
],
"word": "לילה לבן"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "késő éjszakáig tanul"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "éjjel-nappal tanul"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "éjszakázik"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "fare le ore piccole"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "passare la notte in bianco"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "tetsuya suru",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "徹夜する"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "lūcūbrō"
},
{
"code": "lv",
"lang": "Latvian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "strādāt pa naktīm"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"english": "work at night(s)",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracować po nocach"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "zarywać nocki"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "passar a noite em claro"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "virar a noite"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "fazer uma direta"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "polunóčničatʹ",
"sense": "work through the night",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "полуно́чничать"
},
{
"alt": "e.g. \"до по́здней но́чи\"",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "zasiž́ivatʹsja",
"sense": "work through the night",
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],
"word": "засиж́иваться"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovať dlho do noci"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovať vo dne v noci"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "hacer días y noches"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "quemarse las pestañas"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "dygna"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "låta flitens lampa lysa"
}
]
}
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"word": "burn the midnight oil"
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"form": "burns the midnight oil",
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"ref": "2013, Phil Cousineau, Burning the Midnight Oil: Illuminating Words for the Long Night's Journey Into Day, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:",
"text": "You worked at whatever task you were engaged in — churning out steel nuts for the car companies or churning out essays in college — until you were done, even if you had to burn the midnight oil. No excuses, no whining, no cheating.",
"type": "quote"
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],
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],
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"synonyms": [
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"word": "elucubrate"
},
{
"word": "pull an all-nighter"
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],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "أشعل فانوس الليل"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "cremar-se les celles"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "開夜車"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"english": "to drive the night car",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "kāi yèchē",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "开夜车"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "焚膏繼晷"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "féngāojìguǐ",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "焚膏继晷"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "挑燈夜戰"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "tiǎodēngyèzhàn",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "挑灯夜战"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovat dlouho do noci"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "ponocovat"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovat dnem i nocí"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "tot laat in de nacht werken"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "het nachtje doordoen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "valvoa yötä myöten"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "travailler tard le soir"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "bûcher"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "bis spät in die Nacht arbeiten"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "die Nacht zum Tage machen"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"sense": "work through the night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine",
"plural",
"singular"
],
"word": "לילה לבן"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "késő éjszakáig tanul"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "éjjel-nappal tanul"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "éjszakázik"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "fare le ore piccole"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "passare la notte in bianco"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "tetsuya suru",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "徹夜する"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "lūcūbrō"
},
{
"code": "lv",
"lang": "Latvian",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "strādāt pa naktīm"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"english": "work at night(s)",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracować po nocach"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "zarywać nocki"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "passar a noite em claro"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "virar a noite"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "fazer uma direta"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "polunóčničatʹ",
"sense": "work through the night",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "полуно́чничать"
},
{
"alt": "e.g. \"до по́здней но́чи\"",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "zasiž́ivatʹsja",
"sense": "work through the night",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "засиж́иваться"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovať dlho do noci"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "pracovať vo dne v noci"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "hacer días y noches"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "quemarse las pestañas"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "dygna"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "work through the night",
"word": "låta flitens lampa lysa"
}
],
"word": "burn the midnight oil"
}
Download raw JSONL data for burn the midnight oil meaning in English (7.8kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). 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.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.