"Can't Hold a Candle To"

It might not seem that this idiom has anything to do with white collar crime, but I think it does in this respect: People like Bernie Madoff, and the people involved with corporate crime in companies like Euron and WorldCom are "inferior" in ethics, integrity and character than those of us that don't "rake people over the coals." This posting was promped by a friend who wanted to know the origin and meaning of, "can't hold a candle to" which also is known as, "not fit to hold a candle." The meaning is to be inferior to someone or something. I consider these scoundrels as being lower than dirt. The earliest use in print of this phrase was in John Heywood's collection of proverbs from 1546 and alludes to holding a candle to provide light for someone, at that time considered a menial chore. For my followers and people who log on to the blog, I thank you for your questions regarding idioms and phrases dealing with white collar crime. It will help me in my research for "They Cooked the Books." If you think the subject matter would be interesting for your friends and business colleagues, please pass the link on to them. The faults of a burglar are the qualities of the financier -George Bernard Shaw