burn the candle at both ends

1. To do more than one ought to; to overextend oneself: “His doctor said that his illness was brought on by stress and recommended that he stop burning the candle at both ends.”

Idioms and Phrases

Exhaust one's energies or resources by leading a hectic life. For example, Joseph's been burning the candle at both ends for weeks, working two jobs during the week and a third on weekends. This metaphor originated in France and was translated into English in Randle Cotgrave's Dictionary (1611), where it referred to dissipating one's wealth. It soon acquired its present broader meaning.

Example Sentences

I have girlfriends who may not be making as much money as their spouses, or vice versa, and everybody is out there hustling and grinding it out and burning the candle at both ends.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The NBA released its 2019-20 schedule Monday, and the big winners are East Coast fans who have been forced to burn the candle at both ends.

Read more on Washington Post

There is a lot of burning the candle at both ends.

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As Mr Kalanick himself admits, he used to think you had to burn the candle at both ends to be the real deal as head of a Silicon Valley start-up.

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“I wasn’t as strong because I couldn’t burn the candle at both ends. I couldn’t lift the weights that I’m used to, or accustomed to lifting as well as playing and practicing.”

Read more on New York Times