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Hotmale Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

Bear on a problem

Hi,

I've run into this sentence: "More minds are brought to bear on a problem" and I am not sure what "bring on a problem" exactly means.
Deal with, perhaps? Can you help me on this?

Thank you
  

Top answer

The phrase is bring to bear . The origin of this phrase lies in the idea of pointing a number of guns, such as the guns of a warship, at a target. " The battleships brought their guns to bear on the enemy warship and opened fire ".

— Blue Jay

  • The phrase is bring to bear .
  • The origin of this phrase lies in the idea of pointing a number of guns, such as the guns of a warship, at a target.
  • " The battleships brought their guns to bear on the enemy warship and opened fire ".
  • Here it is used metaphorically to mean concentrating the thoughts and ideas of a number of people on the problem.
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5 Answers
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The phrase is bring to bear. The origin of this phrase lies in the idea of pointing a number of guns, such as the guns of a warship, at a target. "The battleships brought their guns to bear on the enemy warship and opened fire". Here it is used metaphorically to mean concentrating the thoughts and ideas of a number of people on the problem.
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I see. Thank you very much!
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I've got one more thing to ask. Is it acceptable to drop "bring" in this phrase, e.g "More minds bore on a problem"?
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I wouldn't say it's wrong, but I would be inclined to avoid it, as bore can also mean cause to lose interest, and make a hole. Brought to bear is a fixed phrase that avoids ambiguity.
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Thank you Blue Jay. I got it.
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