hand on the torch

Also found in: Wikipedia.

hand on the torch

To give something to someone else, often one's position and/or responsibilities. Because Gina is retiring, she is handing on the torch to me, and I'll take over her job as supervisor. My grandmother is unable to stand long enough to cook such a large meal, so we're making Thanksgiving dinner this year—she has handed on the torch to us. I have so much work to do now that my boss has left the company and handed on the torch to me.

hand on (or pass) the torch

pass on a tradition, especially one of learning or enlightenment.

The image here is that of the runners in a relay passing on the torch to each other, as was the custom in the ancient Greek Olympic Games. The tradition of the torch relay is preserved as a prelude to the modern Olympics, with a team of runners carrying the Olympic torch vast distances across various countries until the site of the Games is reached.