burn the candle at both ends

English

Etymology

From Edna St. Vincent Millay's 1918 collection Figs from Thistles, the first of which begins: "My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night;"

Alternative forms

• burn one's candle at both ends

Verb

burn the candle at both ends (third-person singular simple present burns the candle at both ends, present participle burning the candle at both ends, simple past and past participle burned the candle at both ends or burnt the candle at both ends)

1. (idiomatic) To work hard night and day.
2. To waste something in two directions at once.

Translations

work hard night and day

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 夙興夜寐／夙兴夜寐 (zh) (sùxīngyèmèi), 夙兴夜寐 (zh) (sùxīngyèmèi)

• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: polttaa kynttilää moemmista päistä
• French: brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts (fr)
• Hungarian: két végén égeti a gyertyát
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: bruciare la candela ad entrambe le estremità
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: pracować od świtu do nocy
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: рабо́тать на изно́с impf (rabótatʹ na iznós), горе́ть на рабо́те (ru) impf (gorétʹ na rabóte)
• Spanish: quemar la vela por los dos cabos
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 三更燈火五更雞／三更灯火五更鸡 (sāngēng dēnghuǒ wǔgēng jī), 三更灯火五更鸡 (sāngēng dēnghuǒ wǔgēng jī)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: polttaa kynttiläänsä molemmista päistä
• Russian: труди́ться в по́те лица́ impf (trudítʹsja v póte licá), рабо́тать на изно́с impf (rabótatʹ na iznós), рабо́тать не поклада́я рук impf (rabótatʹ ne pokladája ruk), рабо́тать без у́стали impf (rabótatʹ bez ústali)