hold a candle

English

Etymology

Probably from the custom of apprentices to a trade holding a candle so the master worker could see clearly. A person who was not even fit for such a simple task was worthless.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Verb

hold a candle (third-person singular simple present holds a candle, present participle holding a candle, simple past and past participle held a candle)

1. (idiomatic) To compare; to be even remotely of the same quality, skill, etc. as another.

   The old computer just doesn't hold a candle to the latest models.

Usage notes

• Typically used in the negative when something does not compare, as in the example.

Translations

be even remotely of the same quality

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 望其项背 (wàngqíxiàngbèi)

• Czech: sahat po kotníky
• Finnish: pärjätä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: faire le poids (fr), arriver à la cheville
• Hungarian: nem lehet egy napon említeni (negative), a kisujjával sem ér fel (negative, of people)
• Russian: в подмётки не годи́ться (ru) (v podmjótki ne godítʹsja) (not (even) suitable for soles)

Further reading

• “not hold a candle to” (US) / “not hold a candle to” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “hold”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.