Idiom Burn the midnight oil nghĩa là gì? Các idioms và cụm từ đồng nghĩa

During your IELTS preparation, you will often come across idioms that describe hard work and relentless effort. One of them is Burn the midnight oil – an interesting idiom used to describe studying or working until late at night. So what does this phrase mean and how is it used in real-life contexts? In addition, are there any other idioms or phrases with similar meanings that you can apply to enrich your vocabulary? Let's explore with IDP in the article below!

“Burn the midnight oil” means staying up late to study or work hard, especially to meet a deadline or complete an important task.

This idiom is commonly used to describe students preparing for exams, professionals finishing last-minute projects, or anyone putting in extra effort late at night. It emphasizes dedication, hard work, and sometimes sacrificing rest or sleep to reach a goal.

Examples:

• I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my essay before the deadline.

• Students often burn the midnight oil before their final exams.

The phrase dates back to a time when oil lamps were used as the main source of light before the invention of electricity. Working or studying late into the night required burning oil in these lamps—hence the term “burn the midnight oil.”

One of the earliest recorded uses appears in the 17th-century book Emblems by Francis Quarles (1632): “Wee spend our mid-day sweat, or mid-night oyle. Wee tyre the night in thought; the day in toyle.”

This illustrates the timeless value placed on hard work and perseverance.

The idiom is typically used like a regular verb phrase and should be conjugated to fit the sentence tense.

Common structure: Subject + burn(s) / burnt / will burn + the midnight oil + (to do something)

Examples:

• My sister is burning the midnight oil to finish her presentation for tomorrow.

• We’ll have to burn the midnight oil if we want to meet the project deadline.

Typical contexts:

While both expressions refer to staying awake at night, they have different connotations:

• Stay up late is neutral and simply refers to being awake past usual bedtime, regardless of the activity.

  • Example: My kids often stay up late on weekends.

• Burn the midnight oil implies purposeful, focused work or study late into the night.

  • Example: The team burned the midnight oil to meet the project deadline.

Here are some other idioms with similar meanings that describe dedication and late-night effort:

Using idioms naturally and correctly can boost your IELTS Speaking score. "Burn the midnight oil" is versatile and can be used in various parts of the speaking test:

Part 1 Example

Question: What do you usually do in the evenings?

Answer: Well, it depends. On weekdays, I usually relax after dinner, but if I’m swamped with work, I sometimes have to burn the midnight oil to catch up.

Part 2 Example

Cue Card: Describe a time you had to work hard to achieve something

Answer: I'd like to talk about the time I was preparing for my university entrance exam. It was a very intense period, and I had to burn the midnight oil almost every night for about two months. I studied until 2 or 3 AM, doing practice tests. It was exhausting, but worth it—I got into my dream university.

Part 3 Example

Question: What are the common challenges people face when working from home?

Answer: One major challenge is setting boundaries. Work often spills into personal time, and people end up burning the midnight oil more often, which can lead to burnout if not handled properly.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct idiom or phrase. Use the appropriate verb form.

Word bank: burn the midnight oil, stay up late, pull an all-nighter, work your tail off

1. I was so tired today because I had to ______ to complete the urgent task.

2. My friends and I often ______ chatting on weekends.

3. She’s been ______ on this research paper for months.

4. If you haven’t prepared for tomorrow’s test, you’ll have to ______.

5. Many doctors ______ during emergencies.

Answers:

1. burn the midnight oil

2. stay up late

3. working her tail off

4. pull an all-nighter

5. burn the midnight oil

Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentences using "burn the midnight oil" or a related idiom.

1. He worked very hard until very late at night to finish his assignment. → He had to ______ to finish his assignment.

2. Students often have to study hard for many hours during finals. → Students often have to ______ during the final exam period.

3. The team stayed up all night working on the proposal. → The team had to ______ on the new proposal.

4. My parents worked extremely hard to provide for us. → My parents ______ to provide for our family.

Answers:

1. burn the midnight oil

2. put in long hours / burn the midnight oil

3. pull an all-nighter

4. worked their fingers to the bone

Burn the Midnight Oil with IDP and Conquer the IELTS Exam

We hope this article has helped you understand the meaning, origin, usage, and practical applications of the idiom "burn the midnight oil." Mastering idioms and using them naturally can make your speech more fluent and expressive in the IELTS Speaking test.

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