{"id":8903,"date":"2022-09-07T22:58:19","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T22:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=8903"},"modified":"2022-09-07T22:58:19","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T22:58:19","slug":"hold-a-candle-to-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/hold-a-candle-to-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Hold a Candle to \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you trying to tell a friend that their car can't compete with the performance of your vehicle? You could say it <strong><em>can't hold a candle to<\/em><\/strong> the acceleration and torque available in yours. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression <em>'hold a candle to'<\/em> means you're <u>making a comparison.<\/u> If something can't <em>hold a candle to<\/em> something else, it <u>means it's inferior to it, undeserving, or less skillful.<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Typically, the <u>phrase refers to someone of lower authority than someone else or a product far superior to another in a direct comparison of the two<\/u>. If you <em>'hold a candle to'<\/em> to someone else, it means they're <u>better at a task in every possible way, and you can't compete with them<\/u>.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\"I'm sorry, but your Ferrari can't hold a candle to the acceleration I get on my BMW motorcycle. Let's race. I'll leave you in the dust, I promise.'<\/p>\n<p>\"Biden couldn't hold a candle to Obama regarding who's the better president. Obama was a real statesman, but Bidens a hack.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm sorry, but no other woman can hold a candle to the beauty I see in my wife. She's my vision of perfection, and I love her to the end.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Listen, my guy. You can't hold a candle to LeBron on the court. I like your attitude, but let's not start talking crazy here.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"No other album can hold a candle to the latest release by Lil Uzi Vert. He's the top dogg of the rapping community, and he's got the sickest flow ever.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Your Xbox One can't hold a candle to the PlayStation 5. It's a totally different gaming experience, and Sony wins the console wars with this round.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm sorry, but the local community college can't hold a candle to the kind of education you get from Ivy League universities like Harvard and Yale.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"This pizza can't hold a candle against Spinelli's Pizzeria in New York. The way Spinelli's puts the sauce over the cheese is something special.\"<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-8905\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"221\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to.jpg 204w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 221px) 100vw, 221px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-8906\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to2-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"242\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to2-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hold-a-Candle-to2.png 472w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression 'hold a candle to' originates from the 1600s. The phrase describes an apprentice to a master who is only fit to hold the candle to illuminate the working space for the master. They don't possess any worthy skills to qualify them to work on the project.<\/p>\n<p>The first appearance of the expression is in 1641, in 'The fower cardinal-vertues of a Carmelite fryar,' written by Sir Edward Dering. The phrase appears in his work as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"Though I be not worthy to hold the candle to Aristotle.\"<\/p>\n<p>The phrase held its original meaning over the centuries and is still used today.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"English Idioms | Can&#039;t hold a candle to\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4ONSAthpw6M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Hold a Candle to<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Can\u2019t compare.<\/li>\n<li>No comparison.<\/li>\n<li>The best of the best.<\/li>\n<li>The top of the heap.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Hold a Candle to<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>On the ball.<\/li>\n<li>As good as it gets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Hold a candle to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Hold a Candle to Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase has nothing to do with holding a candle. In this case, the candle refers to a person's skill set, attitude, or actions. Using it to describe holding candles is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Hold a Candle to<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression 'hold a candle to' when making comparisons between things. The phrase is suitable for social and professional use. For instance, you could say no one can hold a candle to the beauty of your partner. Or you could say no one can hold a candle to a colleague's sales performance at work.<\/p>\n<p>To 'hold a candle to something means you're directly comparing it to something else. It's suitable for describing people, objects, and processes. For instance, you could say no other car can hold a candle to the acceleration offered by your Tesla Plaid. Or. No one can hold a candle to the acting prowess of Leonardo Di Caprio in his latest movie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you trying to tell a friend that their car can't compete with the performance of your vehicle? You could say it can't hold a candle to the acceleration and torque available in yours. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression 'hold a candle to' means you're making a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8903"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8903"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8908,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8903\/revisions\/8908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}