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Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—I

Inch of Candle

(Sold by). A sale by auction. Instead of the hammer of the auctioneer concluding the bids, the purchaser was the last bidder before the candle went out. Another plan is to stick a pin in a candle, and when the pin drops down, the sale of the article is concluded.

Down were tumbled miracle and martyr,
Put up in lots, and sold by inch of candle.

Peter Pindar: Lyric Odes, xiii.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Inchcape Rock
Incarnadine
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

More on Inch of Candle from Infoplease:

  • Inch of Candle - Inch of Candle (Sold by). A sale by auction. Instead of the hammer of the auctioneer concluding the ...
  • Sale by the Candle - Sale by the Candle A species of auction. An inch of candle being lighted, he who made the bid as ...
  • Candle - Candle Bell, Book, and Candle. (See page 120, col 1, Bell , etc.) Fine (or Gay) as the king's ...
  • Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: I - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "I"

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