Verb
hold a candle (third-person singular simple present holds a candle, present participle holding a candle, simple past and past participle held a candle)
(idiomatic) To compare; to be even remotely of the same quality, skill, etc. as another. [from mid 16th c.]
The old computer just doesn't hold a candle to the latest models.
So that the record of history is absolutely crystal clear. That there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system. Milton Friedman
Hell, I'm not saying I'm an angel, but when it came to dirty tricks I couldn't hold a candle to the Irish Mafia. Jimmy Hoffa
Alone. Yes, that's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym. Stephen King
Sure, jets are fast and economical, but, oh my, what fun we've lost and what leisure we've sacrificed in the race to efficiency. Somehow, stepping onto a plane and zooming across the United States in a matter of hours doesn't hold a candle to the dear, old-fashioned train ride. Ginger Rogers
One must sometimes hold a candle to the devil. Dutch Proverb
It is sometimes good to hold a candle to the devil. Romanian Proverb