burn the candle at both ends

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Calque of French brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts. First attested in the 18th century, originally in the sense “to be doubly profligate”.

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: حرق الشمعة من كلتا طرفيها — work hard night and day
• Chinese Mandarin: 夙興夜寐 /夙兴夜寐 (sùxīngyèmèi) — work hard night and day
• Finnish: polttaa kynttilää molemmista päistä — work hard night and day
• Finnish: polttaa kynttiläänsä molemmista päistä — work hard night and day
• French: brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts — work hard night and day
• Hungarian: két végén égeti a gyertyát — work hard night and day
• Italian: bruciare la candela ad entrambe le estremità — work hard night and day
• Japanese: 過重労働 — work hard night and day
• Polish: pracować od świtu do nocy — work hard night and day
• Portuguese: dar um duro danado — work hard night and day
• Portuguese: matar-se de trabalhar — work hard night and day
• Russian: рабо́тать на изно́с (rabótatʹ na iznós) — work hard night and day
• Russian: горе́ть на рабо́те (gorétʹ na rabóte) — work hard night and day
• Spanish: quemar la vela por los dos cabos — work hard night and day
• Swedish: bränna sitt ljus i båda ändar — work hard night and day