Wordcyclopedia | English | hold a candle to the devil

hold Verb

— When you hold something, you put it in your hand and keep it there. He held the pen tightly as he wrote the letter. — When you hold something, you keep it in one place and do not let it move away. The police hold people who do crimes in prison. — If you hold someone accountable/responsible/liable, you put the responsibility for something on them. It's not clear if parents should be held responsible for the problems their children cause. We are trying to finally get tobacco companies held responsible for killing people. — / If something holds true/good, it is or continues to be true. The drug extends life for mice. If this holds true in humans as well, it will be a great advance. He might be able to do it, but I don't think that holds for most men. — If you hold somebody prisoner/hostage/captive, you do not allow them to go free. Police in Luxembourg say a gunman holding 29 children hostage is demanding a mini-bus to take him to the airport.

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a Determinative

— A is used when the following word could be any of a certain type. Compare "A book I saw on the shelf" and "The book I gave you yesterday".

a Noun

— A is the first letter of the alphabet. The letter "a" comes before "b". — In some schools, an A is a very high grade. Ron got an A on his earth science test.

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candle Noun

— A piece of wax with a wick inside that you burn to get light. — A unit of how light strength, now replaced by the SI unit candela. — a fast growing, light colored, shoot on a pine tree in the spring.

candle Verb

— To watch the growth of something growing inside an egg, using a bright light source. — To dry pottery before the firing cycle, setting the kiln at 200° Celsius until all water is removed from the greenware.

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to Verb phrase Subordinator

— To has no meaning. It is used to introduce verb phrases. It's important for you to understand. She told them to be quiet. You want me to do it, but I don't have to. To finish quickly, we must work fast. To continue like this would be foolish. I don't know how to get there. He got the keys to open the door. It's too small to see. You are all to be here at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Do you understand? He arrived only to find that everyone had gone home.

to Preposition

— To shows where something goes, the goal of movement. He went to her house. The train returned to the Shinjuku station. I went to bed but could not rest. They went to school together and played in the same soccer team. A squad car took him to hospital where he died. Many people came to me with suggestions. I wonder why you keep going to sea when you know it's dangerous. — To shows the receivers of an action or object. The goods were sold to customers at the downtown store. — To shows the result of a change or process. It switched from red to black. They came to the conclusion that I'm better than nothing. He fell on the play, but quickly got to his feet. He was crushed to death underneath the truck. — To shows the end or limit of something. Methods have been used to overcome these problems to some degree. The class is from 1:35 to 3:25. It's just another week to the end of classes. Right now it's ten minutes to four. — To shows that one thing is touching another. They stood back to back to see who was taller. — To shows how two things are connected. He attached the printer to the computer. She was married to a Canadian man. She was assistant to the general manager. — To shows a belonging or relationship. We don't owe anything to anyone. To whom does it belong? It's a benefit to the whole school. What's the answer to this problem? I can't remember the password to this account? — To shows a comparison between two things. Girls outnumber boys two to one. Older cars get fewer kilometers to a liter of gasoline. Right now you can get one Canadian dollar to $1.05 US. — To shows your feeling or opinion about something. It feels good to me. To their surprise, she got up and left. — To shows a timing relationship, often with a music. He likes to exercise to music.

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the Determiner

— Used, instead of a, to reference something specific, already known to exist. Compare "I read a book." and "I read the book." — Used with a stress, to show that the word following is special. Are you the John Smith that I went to school with? — Used with an adjective that acts like a noun to mean all of the people concerned The poor are always with us. — Used with superlatives forms of adjectives and adverbs. You are the best.

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devil Noun

— A devil is an evil monster, god, or mythological being. — If you say someone is a poor devil, you mean a poor person.

devil Proper noun

— The Devil is the enemy or God and all people. The devil is the leader or source of evil. — If someone is called the Devil it means they are a bad person. Usually this is used playfully and not seriously.

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