American Idioms and Expressions

Burn The Candle At Both Ends Idiom

This database is a comprehensive collection of all the American idioms and slang available. American Idioms are many and varied. We hope you enjoy our collection. We are adding more all the time. .

burn the candle at both ends What does burn the candle at both ends mean?	to work or play too hard without enough rest	The man has been burning the candle at both ends with his work and he is now sick.
burn the candle at both ends What does burn the candle at both ends mean?	to work or play too hard without enough rest	The man has been burning the candle at both ends with his work and he is now sick.
	Some Random Idioms
lift a finger What does "lift a finger" mean?	to help as little as possible (usually used in the negative)	My niece will never lift a finger to help anyone.

come to naught What does "come to naught" mean?	to end in failure	Our efforts to find a new apartment have come to naught.
take offense at (someone or something) What does "take offense at (someone or something)" mean?	to become resentful of someone or something	The audience took offense at the remarks by the comedian.
dark horse What does "dark horse" mean?	a political candidate who is little known to the general public	The woman candidate was a dark horse but she won the election easily.
have the right-of-way What does "have the right-of-way" mean?	have the right to drive in one lane while driving	The small car had the right-of-way but was hit by the large truck anyway.
hold down (someone or something) What does "hold down (someone or something)" mean?	keep control of someone or something	The government was able to hold down the rate of inflation for many years.

Practical joke What does "Practical joke" mean?	A practical joke is a trick played on someone that is meant to be funny for people watching, though normally embarrassing for the person being tricked.
a brush with death What does "a brush with death" mean?	a near-death experience	The man had a brush with death in the car accident.
play off (one group against another) What does "play off (one group against another)" mean?	to match opposing persons/forces/interests for one`s own gain	Nobody likes the supervisor because he is always trying to play off one group of workers against another.
catch on What does " catch on" mean?	to become popular	Recently ballroom dancing has begun to catch on with many people. catch one`s breath - to stop to rest and regain one`s normal breathingAfter running from the station it took a moment to catch my breath.

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