burn daylight

present singular third person burns daylight · participle present burning daylight · participle past burned daylight · past burned daylight · participle past burnt daylight · past burnt daylight

1. intransitiveTo use artificial light during the daytime when one could simply use the sunlight.

   O, Madam, no candles yet, I beseech you ; don't let us burn daylight.

   1819, Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, page 364

   3 more examples

   It beginning to grow a little duskish, Candlemas lustily bawled out for lights, which was opposed by all the Days, who protested against burning daylight.

   1835, Charles Lamb, Elia, page 71

   The place was but scantily lighted, for the community at present could ill afford to burn daylight.

   1879, George MacDonald, The Marquis of Lossie

   High on the list of iniquities was “burning daylight,” resorting to artificial light unnecessarily during the day.

   2013, A. Roger Ekirch, At Day's Close: A History of Nighttime

2. idiomaticintransitiveTo waste time.

   Now, let's head out, ma'am. We're burning daylight,”

   2012, Douglas MacKinnon, Vengeance Is Mine

   5 more examples

   Mercutio. Come, we burn daylight, ho! Romeo. Nay, that's not so. Mercutio. I mean, sir, in delay. We waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day.

   1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

   Brad calls out, “Let's not burn daylight when there's work to be done!”

   2007, Tom Thunderhorse, Charlie Goodbear, page 47

   Said he knows how Jack hates to burn daylight—so he'll be here afore you pull out.

   2010, Terry C. Johnston, Crack in the Sky: A Novel, page 267

   You will find that the time goes quickly, so don't burn daylight—get marketing!

   2012, Cheryl Kimball, Start Your Own Self Publishing Business

   Without anything to look forward to that night, I settled into a very slow pace just trying to burn daylight.

   2012, Patrick McGlade, Six Miles Per Hour, page 191