What does it mean?

Question

What does it mean when someone says, “you’ve been burning the midnight oil”?

Answer 1

Meaning

To work late into the night. Originally this was by the light of an oil lamp or candle. More recently, the phrase is used figuratively, alluding back its use before electric lighting.

Origin

The English author Francis Quarles wrote in Emblemes, 1635:

Wee spend our mid-day sweat, or mid-night oyle;
Wee tyre the night in thought; the day in toyle.

At that time there was a verb for working late by candlelight - elucubrate. Henry Cockeram defined that in his The English dictionarie, or an interpreter of hard English words, 1623:

"Elucubrate, to doe a thing by candlelight."

Clearly, we no longer have much call for that word and it has fallen out of use. Although it is probably some years since anyone needed to do it in reality the phrase 'burning the midnight oil' is still in everyday use. Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton released an album called The Right Combination/Burning the Midnight Oil, in 1972.

Answer 2

It means that you have stayed up really late to get something done. It is from the time when the source of most people's light, in the evenings, came from oil lamps. The oil was expensive and most could not afford a whole lot of it. Ussually, people got as much done as they could in the daylight and used the oil lamps very sparingly. So when someone used the lamps way into the night it was a big deal. Hence the term, burning the midnight oil.

Answer 3

Working late

Answer 4

You have been working very hard, toiling at your studies, or earning extra money, etc. Instead of regular hours, you are putting in many many more.

Answer 5

staying up late or working late

Answer 6

Your working alot.

Answer 7

work late

Answer 8

It means you ahve been studying (cramming) too hard.

Answer 9

U are rundown-and need rest.

Answer 10

STUDYING LATE
WORKING LATE