Skip to the content
Reply

suffer fools gladly

by mkj1887, July 4, 2017

Messages: 15

Language: English

mkj1887 (User's profile) July 4, 2017, 5:55:00 PM

This expression is so well-known in English that it has its own separate entry in Merriam-Webster, and in Wiktionary, and even in Wikipedia. However, it is not acknowledged in Benson, nor in Wells, nor in Vikivortaro, nor in ReVo, nor in Sonja, nor in Vikipedio.
So, in the entry in my online dictionary for this expression, I have added my own (liberal – not literal) translation into Esperanto: dolĉe dorloti idiotojn – which has the additional feature – absent in the original English – of alliteration.
Read more.

Vestitor (User's profile) July 4, 2017, 10:13:41 PM

Maybe Benson, Wells, Vikivortaro, ReVo, Sonja and Vikipedio just don't suffer fools gladly enough.

Seriously though, the phrase is always used negatively: not suffer fools gladly/doesn't suffer fools gladly and I can't tell how your translation works. I didn't even recognise the word 'dorloti' How would I construct the phrase to translate e.g: 'Everyone knew he didn't suffer fools gladly'.

noelekim (User's profile) July 5, 2017, 4:42:17 AM

My suggestion:
I am not one to suffer fools gladly - mi ne emas indulgi stultulojn
eo.wiktionary.org/wiki/Vortaro_angla-Esperanta_g

tommjames (User's profile) July 5, 2017, 3:49:10 PM

I would go with volonte toleri stultulojn.

Vestitor (User's profile) July 5, 2017, 11:39:35 PM

As a related aside; is it really desirable to render such things as set phrases, rather than just expressing the idea at the moment. Whilst Esperanto is not like a pidgin or something like 'Basic English', I do tend to see it more as a means for communicating with clarity.

mkj1887 (User's profile) July 6, 2017, 3:25:11 PM

Vestitor:As a related aside; is it really desirable to render such things as set phrases, rather than just expressing the idea at the moment. Whilst Esperanto is not like a pidgin or something like 'Basic English', I do tend to see it more as a means for communicating with clarity.
"Only the stupid believe that being truthful is easy."
-- Willa Cather

Vestitor (User's profile) July 6, 2017, 4:28:52 PM

mkj1887:
Vestitor:As a related aside; is it really desirable to render such things as set phrases, rather than just expressing the idea at the moment. Whilst Esperanto is not like a pidgin or something like 'Basic English', I do tend to see it more as a means for communicating with clarity.
"Only the stupid believe that being truthful is easy."
-- Willa Cather
Is this a not-so-veiled implication that I am stupid?
Aiming for clarity in language is not stupid. That would make people like Wittgenstein stupid and that is ridiculous.

Get that chip off your shoulder. Maybe you make an Esperanto phrase for that?

mkj1887 (User's profile) July 7, 2017, 9:37:59 PM

Vestitor:
mkj1887:
Vestitor:As a related aside; is it really desirable to render such things as set phrases, rather than just expressing the idea at the moment. Whilst Esperanto is not like a pidgin or something like 'Basic English', I do tend to see it more as a means for communicating with clarity.
"Only the stupid believe that being truthful is easy."
-- Willa Cather
Is this a not-so-veiled implication that I am stupid?
Aiming for clarity in language is not stupid. That would make people like Wittgenstein stupid and that is ridiculous.

Get that chip off your shoulder. Maybe you make an Esperanto phrase for that?
An Esperanto version of 'A hit dog always yelps.' would be more apropos.

Vestitor (User's profile) July 7, 2017, 10:39:33 PM

It would, because you do. A great deal.

mkj1887 (User's profile) July 8, 2017, 3:35:39 AM

Vestitor:It would, because you do. A great deal.
So, we’ve descended to the level of “I’m rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me, and sticks to you.”

Back to the top