hold a candle to, not



hold a candle to, not

Also, not fit to or cannot hold a candle to. Be inferior to someone or something, as in This hotel can't hold a candle to the Palace, or This new friend of his is not fit to hold a candle to his former buddies. This expression was already a proverb in John Heywood's collection of 1546 and alludes to holding a candle to provide light for someone, at that time considered a menial chore.
See also: candle, hold, not

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Francka-Slovene
Chanel[ʃa:'nel]
Rana (2)-Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali
Eris-Greek Mythology
Hipolithee-PAW-leetPolish
Ale (2)-Frisian