burn the candle at both ends

Meaning

To go to bed late and wake up early in order to get a lot of work done, effectively exhausting yourself. It suggests working excessively hard without enough rest, which usually leads to exhaustion. It carries a slightly warning or concerned tone.

Examples

• You've been burning the candle at both ends lately; you need to take a break.

  You've been burning the candle at both ends lately; you need to take a break.

• With finals week coming up, many students are burning the candle at both ends.

  With finals week coming up, many students are burning the candle at both ends.

• He's been burning the candle at both ends trying to launch his new startup.

  He's been burning the candle at both ends trying to launch his new startup.

• If you keep burning the candle at both ends, you're going to get sick.

  If you keep burning the candle at both ends, you're going to get sick.

• I had to burn the candle at both ends last week to meet the project deadline.

  I had to burn the candle at both ends last week to meet the project deadline.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He is burning the candle from both sides.

  ✓ He is burning the candle at both ends.

  The correct idiom uses the preposition 'at' and the noun 'ends', not 'from' and 'sides'.

• ✗ I burned my candle at both ends.

  ✓ I burned the candle at both ends.

  This idiom uses the definite article 'the candle', not possessive pronouns like 'my' or 'your'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• She has been working two jobs and studying, basically ___.

  💡 Exhausting oneself by working late and rising early.

  Show answer

  burning the candle at both ends

• You look exhausted. Have you been ___ again?

  💡 Working extremely long hours without enough sleep.

  Show answer

  burning the candle at both ends