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
Baltasar (1)bahl-tah-SAHRSpanish
Toygar-Turkish
Alojzije-Croatian
Rajani-Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Nepali
Roshni-Indian, Marathi, Hindi
TomÁSto-MAHS (Spanish), too-MASH (Portuguese)Spanish, Portuguese, Irish