COMMON If one person or thing is not a patch on another, the first is not nearly as good as the second. He was handsome, she thought, but not a patch on Alex. The facilities aren't a patch on those of richer schools, but the boys think they're terrific. Note: This is probably a shortened version of `not fit to be a patch on', suggesting a piece of cloth that is not good enough to be used as a patch to mend a hole in a good piece of clothing.