I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my report before the deadline.
word origin — Used by English poet Francis Quarles in 1635 — refers to burning expensive oil lamps to work late into the night.
burn the midnight oil, jump ship, see eye to eye, give someone a taste of their own medicine, run out of steam: meanings and examples
Learn these 5 idioms from Idioms set 41. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.
burn the midnight oil · idiom/bɜrn ðə ˈmɪdnaɪt ɔɪl/
to work late into the night
I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my report before the deadline.
Origin: Used by English poet Francis Quarles in 1635 — refers to burning expensive oil lamps to work late into the night.
jump ship · idiom/dʒʌmp ʃɪp/
to leave a situation or job suddenly
Many employees jumped ship when they saw the company struggling.
Origin: From maritime tradition — sailors who left a ship before the voyage ended were considered serious deserters.
see eye to eye · idiom/si aɪ tu aɪ/
to agree with someone or share the same opinion
We don’t always see eye to eye, but we respect each other’s opinions.
Origin: From the Bible (Isaiah 52:8) — to see eye-to-eye originally meant a complete agreement of vision and purpose.
give someone a taste of their own medicine · idiom/ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ə teɪst əv ðɛr oʊn ˈmɛdəsən/
to treat someone badly in the same way they treated others
After years of being rude to others, he finally got a taste of his own medicine.
Origin: From Aesop's fable — a fake doctor was made to drink his own awful potion to teach him a lesson.
run out of steam · idiom/rʌn aʊt əv stim/
to lose energy, enthusiasm, or motivation
I was excited at first, but after working 12 hours straight, I ran out of steam.
Origin: From the steam-engine age — when a locomotive used all its steam, it would slow down and eventually stop.