Candle

Candle, kan′dl, n. wax, tallow, or other like substance surrounding a wick: a light.—ns. Can′dle-berr′y, the wax-myrtle, also its fruit: the fruit of Aleurites triloba, the candle-berry tree; Can′dle-bomb, a small glass bomb filled with water, exploding on being held in a candle-flame; Can′dle-coal (same as Cannel-coal); Can′dle-dip′ping, the method of making candles by dipping instead of moulding; Can′dle-end, the end-piece of a burnt-out candle; Can′dle-fish, the eulachon, a deep-sea fish of the smelt family found along the north-west coast of America, producing eulachon oil: another West American fish, resembling a pollock—the black candle-fish or horse-mackerel; Can′dle-hold′er, one who holds a candle to another while working—hence one who renders another slight assistance, or humours him; Can′dle-light, the light of a candle, illumination by means of candles: the time when candles are lighted; Can′dle-light′er, one whose business is to light the candles: a spill; Can′dle-pow′er, the illuminating power of a standard sperm candle—a unit of luminosity; Can′dlestick, an instrument for holding a candle, originally a stick or piece of wood; Can′dle-wast′er, one who studies late; Can′dle-wood, the wood of various West Indian and Mexican resinous trees.—Burn the candle at both ends, to waste in two directions at once.—Not fit to hold a candle to, not fit even to be some one's inferior, not to be compared with.—Sell by the candle, to offer for sale as long as a small piece of candle burns, the bid made just before it goes out being successful.—The game is not worth the candle, the thing is not worth the labour or expense of it. [A.S. candel—L. candela, from cand-ēre, to glow.]