Can’t Hold a Candle to
Meaning
To be far less competent or have far less skills than someone else.
Example
When it comes to performance, Corvette can’t hold a candle to Porsche.
Origin
Before electric lights, someone performing a task in the dark needed a helper to hold a candle to provide light while the task was performed. Much as a helper might hold a flashlight today. Holding the candle is of course the less challenging role. Someone who is not even qualified to hold the candle is much less competent than the person performing the actual task.
