Comes to Bear

Comes to Bear Comes to Bear Comes to Bear By Maeve Maddox A question on an ESL forum alerted me to the expression â€Å"to come to bear.† What is the meaning of â€Å"comes to bear† in this context: Speaker One: I want to tell you about summer camp. It was a wonderful childhood experience. Speaker Two: We can get to it later. Speaker One: We can get to it now. You see, it all comes to bear. Various possibilities were offered by other members of the forum: It probably means â€Å"it has a bearing on (something).† â€Å"Bear† in this sense means â€Å"produce†. A tree can bear fruit, or a woman can bear children. â€Å"It all comes to bear† means â€Å"it all comes to fruition.† Searching the web, I found numerous examples of â€Å"come to bear,† mostly in headlines. but sometimes in connected text. Will FedEx pressure come to bear? Political pressure will come to bear on US margin rules The roles of first lady come to bear Polar policies come to bear On a site dedicated to the writing of business letters, I found this definition of the phrase: Come to Bear: If something comes to bear on you, you start to feel the pressure or effect of it. Although this definition does not explain the use of â€Å"it all comes to bear† in the quotation that started this inquiry, it does shed some light on the other uses. â€Å"Come to bear† seems to be derived from the idiom â€Å"bring to bear,† meaning â€Å"to apply (pressure) or exert (influence).† Pressure is brought to bear. Influence and arguments are brought to bear. Then, once such things are brought to bear, the objects of the pressure, influence or arguments feel the effects. They are affected. It seems to me that the expression â€Å"comes to bear† is a messy, obfuscating circumlocution for â€Å"affects† or some other verb. Like passive voice, the â€Å"comes to bear† expression conceals part of the message to be conveyed. Compare: Will FedEx pressure come to bear? Will FedEx pressure affect the golf playoffs? Political pressure will come to bear on US margin rules Political pressure will affect/alter existing US margin rules The roles of first lady come to bear The role of First Lady affects the woman in it â€Å"Comes to bear† is an expression that careful writers can do without. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases20 Pairs of One-Word and Two-Word Forms30 Nautical Expressions