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...does not suffer Congress...

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aleCcowaN
May 30, 2025, 07:26 PM
Right now, there's a headline at The Guardian's website international front page that reads

"Why Trump does not suffer Congress when it comes to his prized tariffs"

and I understand that "suffer" to mean "tolerate" and not "experience pain or high discomfort -the malaise kind-" as it is the King James's 1612 Bible with its "you won't suffer a witch to live" or that "suffer the (little) children to come (un)to me" sang in so many indoctrinating hymns.

Is that archaism still in use? Is it a British kind of thing?

I don't think Trump is the kind of guy that experiences discomfort or even gives a darn about what others do. I don't think the headline means Congress has put any grievance upon him that he cares about.

Rusty
May 30, 2025, 09:13 PM
Headlines should be longer, in my opinion.
Here, I believe "suffer" means tolerate. Trump won't tolerate Congress taking however long they will to work on a solution to what he thinks will get the desired results much sooner.

poli
May 31, 2025, 07:36 AM
Suffer meaning tolerate is rarely used in North American English except in sayings like, he or she doesn't suffer fools gladly. I suspect this is true in UK too.

aleCcowaN
May 31, 2025, 11:52 AM
Thanks you both. You confirm what I suspected.

I found the use entry (https://www.oed.com/dictionary/suffer_v) in the Oxford English Dictionary. I never found any dictionary to give too much, but if such thing exists, this is it. Kudos, wow! and, wtf were they thinking? No possible avenue, street or even country lane was left unexplored.

Within the basin dealing with "to tolerate, allow" (meanings between II.12 and II.18) there are two related to the subject at hand:

"II.12.1340– transitive. To endure the existence, presence, or activity of (a person); to bear with, put up with, tolerate. Now rare and archaic."
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/suffer_v#:~:text=II.12.,and%20archaic.

and

"II.13.a.c1290– To allow (a thing) to be done, exist, or take place; to allow to go on without interference or objection, put up with, tolerate. archaic or dialect."
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/suffer_v#:~:text=II.13.a,or%20dialect.

Trump won't put up with nor tolerate any interference from "them". I hope the future provides him what he rightly deserves.;)