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Hello, I'm Jayin and this is the English we speak.

And hello, I'm Neil.

Are those new genes, Jaying?

Yes, they are. Do you like them? I'm not so sure about them. They're not a patch on my old ones.

Well, I was going to say, you probably do need some patches. They're covered in holes.

The holes are supposed to be there, Neil. It's fashionable to have holes in your genes these days.

Ah, right. So why are you talking about patches?

I was using our expression for this program.

If something isn't a patch on something else, it means it's nowhere near as good as the thing you first

mentioned I see so it's not connected to the word patch which means a textile cover

for something which is damaged that's right right. I'm saying my old genes were much better than these new ones.

Let's hear some examples of this expression in action.

My new phone isn't a patch on the old one. The camera is rubbish. I know some people disagree, but for me the Olympics isn't a patch on the World Cup. Football is way more exciting.

My holiday at home wasn't a patch on a trip abroad. Overseas travel is so much more fun.

This is the English we speak from BBC Learning English

and we're talking about the expression

not a patch on something, which is used to say that one thing is not as good as another.

Neil, what are you doing with that knife?

Oh, I'm just cutting some holes in my jeans, you know, to be more fashionable, like you.

That looks terrible, and if you're not careful, you're going to cut yourself.

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