A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

hoist one’s flag • hoist the flag
hoist one’s flag —
1
. (of an admiral) take up command: In
May 
1
804, Northesk was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral,
and, in the following month, hoisted his flag in the Britannia.
2. show one’s feelings or intentions: The discussion ranged
round what we should do … but the parson hoisted his flag
by saying that he himself did not propose to do anything.
hoist the flag—
1
. stake one’s claim to discovered territory by
displaying a flag: King and his party hoisted the flag on the
island and the building of a storehouse began as a first neces-
sity. 2. = hoist one’s flag 2: If you want something from a group
of people … you generally don’t hoist the flag of your ill-intent
toward them.
Note:
The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the
phrase haul down the flag— surrender; admit defeat: After sev-
eral weeks of argument, the trade union leaders had to haul
down the flag and accept the government’s earlier offer.
hold a candle for someone • hold a candle to
someone
hold a candle for someone —(also: carry the torch for someone)
retain admiration or love for a person (especially if the feeling
is not mutual): He still holds a candle for Jennifer, and in the
jungle he must’ve thought of her a lot.
hold a candle to someone—(usually negat.) be fit or worthy
to be compared with another person: Edith is pretty, very
pretty; but she can’t hold a candle to Nellie.
hold a job • hold down a job
hold a job —have a job; be employed: The number of unem-
ployed workers who had not held a job in over twelve months
nearly doubled in the 
1
990s.
hold down a job —keep a job for a reasonable length of time:
He never held a job down for long because of the drink, he
was always getting sacked.