This idiom means to overwork or exhaust oneself by living a hectic, unsustainable lifestyle, often by staying up late and rising early or juggling too many tasks. It suggests depleting one’s energy or resources recklessly, with a warning of burnout or collapse.

The phrase comes from 17th-century England, referring to the wasteful practice of lighting a candle at both ends, which burns it faster. It appeared in English via a 1611 translation of a French proverb: ‘To burn the candle at both ends.’ Popularized in the 19th century, it was used by poets like Edna St. Vincent Millay in her 1920 poem ‘First Fig’: ‘My candle burns at both ends.’ Its modern use reflects concerns about work-life balance, especially in urban settings.