Way With Words: Can't Hold a Candle To

Have you ever heard a saying that is used all the time, and you understand the modern meaning, but have no idea where it came from?

That is pretty typically what you get with ‘can’t hold a candle to.’

Everybody knows that if you ‘can’t hold a candle to Jorge,’ then you’re not as good as Jorge at whatever it is you’ve attempted.

The term comes from the days before electricity, when any expert who worked indoors with little natural light, or late at night, needed an apprentice to hold a candle so they could work by candlelight.

Ideally, said apprentices would be able to watch, learn and become experienced in the trades they were observing.

Someone unfit to even hold the candle a master-workman needed to see with, by far the less challenging role in the project, was definitely someone of lower importance.

The saying makes perfect sense once explained, but the alternate ‘unfit to tie their shoelaces,’ is actually derived from the Bible, Mathew 3:11, which states, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

People don’t use candlelight so much anymore, but they still have shoelaces and strappy sandals.

As far as the ancient workplace definition of ‘can’t hold a candle to’ goes, modern workplaces would probably find  ‘not worth fetching coffee for’ more fitting.