Etymology

burn the candle at both ends

Today it means: To work hard night and day; to sleep late and wake up early; to overwork or overexert oneself. Full definition →

French brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts
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The story

  1. French · calque ofbrûler la chandelle par les deux bouts
  2. English todayburn the candle at both ends

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.