to pass the torch
4
4.1
- idiom
:
pasar el testigo
- So maybe it's time to pass the torch.
- time to pass the torch
- pass the torch to a new
And he made a selfless decision to pass the torch.
- And he made a selfless decision to pass the torch.
- I felt like, you know, it was time for Biden to pass the torch, and I feel like we needed new.
- I produced it, I get to be in some of it and I've passed the torch to a new generation.
- And for him to, you know, decide, OK, it's time for me to pass the torch and to let my vice president go forward.
- Yes, Joe Biden, who is a wonderful man, stepped aside and has passed the torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris, a former guest of our show.
Examples
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Tell me if it's not time to pass the torch.
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I produced it, I get to be in some of it and I've passed the torch to a new generation.
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Even for $4 billion, it must be hard to pass the torch, but you did the right thing.
Blog text (22) -
Then they can pass the torch.
Blog text (22) -
As the founder of Christ For All Nations, Reinhard has passed the torch and his microphone to Daniel.
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Yes, Joe Biden, who is a wonderful man, stepped aside and has passed the torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris, a former guest of our show.
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I personally try to remain open-minded and not "live in the past" as many of my peers do, but I also know it's hard when you feel that this isn't your scene anymore, and thus you have to step back and pass the torch.
Blog text (28) -
It's been really great running this team, but now it's time for me to pass the torch.
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As the founder of Christ For All Nations, Reinhard has passed the torch and his microphone to Daniel.
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Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present.
Synonyms
134
2.7
To give something to another person, often information or a message
22
3.7
Give responsibility, control, or an object to another person
1
3.5
To give responsibility or control to another person during a planned change
How Complete
- Formal
39
8.2
- Formal
69
7.2
4
4.1
45
3.7
245
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
pass + the + torch
While 'pass' clearly means to transfer and a learner would understand the literal act of handing over a torch, the idiomatic sense 'transfer responsibility or leadership' requires recognizing the torch as a cultural symbol for leadership/succession. This metaphorical extension is partially inferable but not fully predictable from the literal words alone, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents may not reliably derive the intended meaning.
Etymology
The phrase pass the torch comes from relay races and the Olympic Games, where one runner hands a burning torch to the next. That's why when we say pass the torch today we mean 'give responsibility or leadership' to someone else.