Choose the meaning of the idiom: to burn the midnight oil.
- A. to waste resources
- B. to work or study late into the night
- C. to start a fire accidentally
- D. to celebrate an occasion
Explanation
Before electric lighting, studying after dark meant burning oil in a lamp, so the phrase came to mean working late into the night. It carries a tone of diligence rather than waste. Students preparing for entry tests are its most natural modern users.