hold a candle

English

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hold a candle

/ˌhəʊ̯ld ə ˈkan.dəl/ UK, contemporary
/ˌhəʊ̯ld ə ˈkæn.dəl/ UK
/ˌhoʊ̯ld ə ˈkæn.dəl/ Canada, US
/ˌhəʉ̯ld ə ˈkæn.dəl/ Australia
/ˌhɐʉ̯ld ə ˈkɛn.dəl/ New Zealand
/ˌhold ə ˈkan.dəl/ Scotland
/ˌhoːlɖ a ˈkan.ɖel/ India

Where it comes from

From the custom of apprentices to a master holding a candle so that the master could see more clearly. The negative version implies that a person who was not fit even for such a simple task was worthless.

verb holds a candle · holding a candle · held a candle

in the negative 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.

Translations

Every language

verb be even remotely of the same quality

Español	llegar a la suela del zapato, llegar a los talones
中文	望其项背 wàngqíxiàngbèi
Português	chegar aos pés
Français	faire le poids, arriver à la cheville (ne pas arriver à la cheville de)
Deutsch	jemandem nicht das Wasser reichen können
Русский	в подмётки не годи́ться v podmjótki ne godítʹsja

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Cite this

MLA

"hold a candle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hold%20a%20candle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

hold a candle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hold%20a%20candle

Chicago

"hold a candle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hold%20a%20candle.

BibTeX

@misc{hold_a_candle_2026,
  title = {hold a candle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hold%20a%20candle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}