| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Hold. | | |
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(Anglo-Saxon, heald-an, to hold.) | 1 |
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He is not fit to hold the candle to him. He is very inferior. The allusion is to link-boys who held candles in theatres and other places of night amusement. | 2 |
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| “Others say that Mr. Handel |
| To Bonocini can’t hold a candle.” | |
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To cry hold. Stop. The allusion is to the old military tournaments; when the umpires wished to stop the contest they cried out “Hold!” | 3 |
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| And damn’d be him that first cries, ‘Hold, enough!’” | |
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Shakespeare: Macbeth, v. 8. |
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