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Glite Dictionary
no rest for the wicked

no rest for the wicked

7.6
People say this when they have a lot of work and little rest
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : sin descanso para los malvados
  • "I'm working all weekend again—no rest for the wicked."

Examples

  • "Even on vacation, I still get work emails; truly, there's no rest for the wicked."

  • There's no rest for the wicked during exam week!

  • She smiled after a long day, saying, "Well, no rest for the wicked!"

  • I have so many deadlines; it's no rest for the wicked!

  • "Even on vacation, I still get work emails; truly, there's no rest for the wicked."

  • "I'm working all weekend again—no rest for the wicked."

  • After finishing one project, I realized, "There's no rest for the wicked with all these tasks piling up!"

Synonyms

no rest for the weary
vsno rest for the wicked
8.2

Tired people must keep working or dealing with problems without a break

is used jokingly to complain about having too much work and problems

Antonyms

leisure
100 1.3

Time not spent working when you can relax or do things you enjoy

relaxation
54 1.6

A calm, stress-free state when you rest or enjoy free time

How Busy

no rest for the wicked
  • Informal
7.6
swamped with work
  • Informal
1 4.4
overburdened
1 5.3
busy
∞ 1.0
available
427 2.3

Surface Forms

no rest for the wicked main

Morphology

no + rest + for + the + wicked

The literal composition ('no' + 'rest' + 'for' + 'the wicked') yields a straightforward propositional meaning that wicked people do not get rest, but the common idiomatic/proverbial use to mean 'I'm very busy / have no time to relax' is a cultural/pragmatic extension not fully predictable from the words alone. A B1 learner who knows the words may grasp the literal sense but is unlikely to infer the humorous, figurative usage without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase no rest for the wicked may come from old religious ideas that the 'wicked', meaning bad people, would not find peace after death and so would have 'no rest'. Today people use it jokingly to mean 'you have no time to relax' when they are very busy.