I can't stand it

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What is meaning for I can't stand it?

How I should use that ?

Can I say the following:

1. I can't stand John?

2. My wife can't stand the way Linda behaves?

Please let me know?
 
What is meaning for I can't stand it?

How I should use that ?

Can I say the following:

1. I can't stand John?

2. My wife can't stand the way Linda behaves?

Please let me know?

I can't stand = I can't accept
 
In the US, we use it as ems has described.

I can't stand her = I detest/hate/abhor/greatly dislike her.
 
In the US, we use it as ems has described.

I can't stand her = I detest/hate/abhor/greatly dislike her.

I do not disagree on that. Though eg 'I can't stand going to jail' - can't stand means can't accept and do not like, right?

However, I would have to make it clear that stand (accept) was for the second sentence.
 

:up: I think what emsdr2 disagreed with was your use of 'accept John' as meaning 'accept John's behaviour'.

If someone said to me 'I don't accept you' I would wonder what they meant (but I might entertain the possibility that they were using 'accept' in a recently trendy [and very informal] meaning 'accept the behaviour of' - a short form typical of Californian pop-psychologists. ;-) A person can't be (in the words of that dictionary) 'difficult', except in a metaphorical way 'John can be very difficult at times'; the metaphor isn't obvious at first glance, but John isn't difficult - he just does things that are difficult to handle (and this secondary meaning has no doubt found its way into many dictionaries).

b
 
Last edited:
:up: I think what emsdr2 disagreed with was your use of 'accept John' as meaning 'accept John's behaviour'.

If someone said to me 'I don't accept you' I would wonder what they meant (but I might entertain the possibility that they were using 'accept' in a recently trendy [and very informal] meaning 'accept the behaviour of' - a short form typical of Californian pop-psychologists. ;-)

b

And Bobk comes on! :) You are definitely right
 
To me:

I can't stand going to jail = I don't like going to jail (and it suggests that you have, at some point, been to jail and you didn't like it!)

I won't stand for going to jail = I refuse to accept the possibility of going to jail.

I can't stand John = I hate John.

I won't stand for John's behaviour = I won't accept his behaving like that / I won't allow him to behave like that.
 
And again, my usage is exactly the same.

"I won't stand for" is not the same as "I can't stand."
 
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