Tolerate lout not starting show of affection (4,3)
I believe the answer is:
bear hug
'tolerate lout not starting show of affection' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'tolerate lout not starting show of affection' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'tolerate' could be 'bear' (synonyms) and 'bear' is found within the answer.
'show of affection' could be 'hug' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'hug' is located in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bear hug that I've seen before include "Closely grip" , "Rough tight embrace" , "tight squeeze" , "Stifling embrace" , "Vigorous embrace" .)