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Glite Dictionary
to hold a light

to hold a light

1 3.4
To keep a light near someone so they can see what they are doing
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : sostener una luz
  • Austin talked to the horse while he held the light and stroked his nose.

Examples

  • She held a light for her friend so he could see the map in the dark.

  • "One of us is going to have to hold this light in this horse's face while the other one drives."

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Dwight held the light while Austin got into the trailer with the stallion.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Can you please hold a light while I fix the engine?

  • I need someone to hold a light while I repair the broken shelf.

Synonyms

to shine
vsto hold a light
114 1.0

To point a light at something so you can see it

involves physically supporting a lamp so another person can work more easily

Surface Forms

hold a light infinitive
held a light past
held a light past participle
holding a light present participle
holds a light third person singular

Morphology

hold + a + light

The meaning ‘to assist by physically holding a source of illumination’ is directly and literally composed from 'hold' (to take and support in hand) and 'light' (a source of illumination); the determiner 'a' does not change the compositional interpretation. This verb + noun construction is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Hold a light comes from the clear image of someone holding a lamp so another person can see and work. To hold the light is to stand ready with light for someone, so the phrase means 'to help someone by giving light' and by extension 'to assist' during a task.