shade

put someone/something in the shade

to be so interesting or so good that other similar people or things seem less important by comparison. I thought I'd done quite well, but Claire's exam results put mine in the shade.

Shades of someone/something.

something that you say when someone or something makes you think of another person or thing. We visited the university campus and had a few drinks in the bar. Shades of my student days.

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shades of someone/something

this suggests memories of another person or thing. The president's behavior suggests he has something to hide — shades of the Watergate scandal.

Etymology: based on the meaning of shade (= spirit of a dead person) used esp. in literature