Candles light up our world and are often used in everyday language too. This post explores various candle idioms that are commonly used in English. These phrases are not only interesting but also add flair to our daily conversations. Let’s learn what these idioms mean and see them used in sentences.
Candle Idioms
Here are 20 candle idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.
1. Burn the candle at both ends
Meaning: Work late into the night and start early in the morning
Example: He was burning the candle at both ends studying for exams.
2. Hold a candle to
Meaning: Compare poorly to someone else
Example: No one can hold a candle to her baking skills.
3. Can’t hold a candle
Meaning: Not nearly as good as someone else
Example: They can’t hold a candle to our team.
4. Candle in the wind
Meaning: Something that is particularly vulnerable or fragile
Example: His dreams are like a candle in the wind.
5. Light a candle
Meaning: Do something to show respect or remembrance
Example: We lit a candle for him last night.
6. Curse the darkness or light a candle
Meaning: To do something positive instead of complaining
Example: She chose to light a candle rather than curse the darkness.
7. Go out like a candle
Meaning: To suddenly become silent or ineffective
Example: His enthusiasm went out like a candle.
8. Game not worth the candle
Meaning: The outcome is not worth the effort
Example: This small profit is not worth the candle.
9. The candle burns low
Meaning: Very little time left
Example: As the evening wore on, the candle burned low.
10. Not fit to hold the snuff of the candle
Meaning: Very incompetent
Example: He’s not fit to hold the snuff of the candle.
11. Candle of the Lord
Meaning: Human conscience or understanding
Example: Trust in the candle of the Lord.
12. Like candles in the wind
Meaning: Extremely vulnerable or fragile
Example: Their hopes were like candles in the wind.
13. By candlelight
Meaning: Done at night or in dim light
Example: They read by candlelight.
14. Make one’s candle the shorter
Meaning: Harm oneself by one’s actions
Example: He made his candle the shorter by arguing.
15. Set one’s candle on the snuff
Meaning: Risk losing everything
Example: He set his candle on the snuff with that decision.
16. Snuff out the candle
Meaning: End or terminate something abruptly
Example: They snuffed out the candle of his project.
17. A burnt candle
Meaning: Someone or something that has exhausted its usefulness
Example: He felt like a burnt candle after the project.
18. The taller the candle, the harder it falls
Meaning: The more prominent one is, the more significant their failure
Example: His downfall proved that the taller the candle, the harder it falls.
19. Candle of hope
Meaning: A symbol of hope in adversity
Example: She was their candle of hope during
