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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
"Excuse my French"
As a foreign learner of English, I wonder how come $B!H(BExcuse my French$B!I(B and $B!H(BPardon my French$B!I(B are $B!H(Bphrases mumbled insincerely immediately after or before one swears a blue streak within earshot of the elderly, the young, or the simply uptight$B!I(B as explained in a dictionary I have. I thought these two phrases are intended to mean $B!H(BExcuse me for my poor French.$B!I(B
YAMAOKA Michio
YAMAOKA Michio
Top answer
Excuse my French? Pardon my French? phrases mumbled ...
- Excuse my French?
- Pardon my French?
- phrases mumbled ...
- in a dictionary I have.
- [/nq] It has nothing to do with the French language.
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12 Answers
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[nq:1]As a foreign learner of English, I wonder how come ?Excuse my French? and ?Pardon my French? are ?phrases mumbled ... in a dictionary I have. I thought these two phrases are intended to mean ?Excuse me for my poor French.?[/nq]
It has nothing to do with the French language. The speaker is trying to imply that the words used were not really swear-words, but words of a foreign language and
It has nothing to do with the French language. The speaker is trying to imply that the words used were not really swear-words, but words of a foreign language and
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[nq:2]As a foreign learner of English, I wonder how come ... are intended to mean ?Excuse me for my poor French.?[/nq]
[nq:1]It has nothing to do with the French language. The speaker is trying to imply that the words used were ... the above is from a US perspective. French is not a foreign language in France or in some other places.[/nq]
If I were to guess when "Pardon my French" started,
[nq:1]It has nothing to do with the French language. The speaker is trying to imply that the words used were ... the above is from a US perspective. French is not a foreign language in France or in some other places.[/nq]
If I were to guess when "Pardon my French" started,
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Yamaoka Michio said,
[nq:1]As a foreign learner of English, I wonder how come ?Excuse myFrench? and ?Pardon my French? are ?phrases mumbled insincerely ... explained in a dictionary I have. I thoughtthese two phrases are intended to mean ?Excuse me for my poor French.?[/nq]
The literal and original meaning of the two sentences is, as you said, something like "excuse me for my poor French."
[nq:1]As a foreign learner of English, I wonder how come ?Excuse myFrench? and ?Pardon my French? are ?phrases mumbled insincerely ... explained in a dictionary I have. I thoughtthese two phrases are intended to mean ?Excuse me for my poor French.?[/nq]
The literal and original meaning of the two sentences is, as you said, something like "excuse me for my poor French."
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[nq:1]Another term involving the French and something (potentially) shameful is "French kiss," dated to 1923 by MWCD11.[/nq]
I prefer the Australian kiss.
Michael DeBusk, Co-Conspirator to Make the World a Better Place Did he update http://home.earthlink.net/~debu4335/ yet?
I prefer the Australian kiss.
Michael DeBusk, Co-Conspirator to Make the World a Better Place Did he update http://home.earthlink.net/~debu4335/ yet?
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[nq:2]Another term involving the French and something (potentially) shameful is "French kiss," dated to 1923 by MWCD11.[/nq]
[nq:1]I prefer the Australian kiss. Michael DeBusk, Co-Conspirator to Make the World a Better Place Did he update http://home.earthlink.net/~debu4335/ yet?[/nq]
And hence make wise wome
[nq:1]I prefer the Australian kiss. Michael DeBusk, Co-Conspirator to Make the World a Better Place Did he update http://home.earthlink.net/~debu4335/ yet?[/nq]
And hence make wise wome
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[nq:1]And hence make wise women exceedingly leery,[/nq]
I can't tell by this response whether or not you know what an "Australian kiss" is, so I'll only say that I've yet to get a complaint from a recipient, and therefore am not certain of what a wise woman should be made leery in this situation.
[nq:1]so I'll revert back to unchanging my mind.[/nq]
Wow. This is an interesting phrase.
I can't tell by this response whether or not you know what an "Australian kiss" is, so I'll only say that I've yet to get a complaint from a recipient, and therefore am not certain of what a wise woman should be made leery in this situation.
[nq:1]so I'll revert back to unchanging my mind.[/nq]
Wow. This is an interesting phrase.
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There are two different meanings. What you thought is one of them, and a request to be excused for the coming profanity is another. It has to be different from the one you have in mind, because it's usually in a sentence entirely in English. I find the request phoney, because he needn't use profanity in the first place. And it's not as if it just slipped out, in cases where he had the time to say
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Okay, I have just reminded myself that you are as many leagues removed from the publishing industry as I am from your urban legends about hot dog filler, but let's get one thing straight: I may fly off the handle online in a variety of ways, in a variety of places, and when I am in pain some of the *** I've posted in the last seven years may come back to haunt me most recently my dog fight in Yah
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[nq:2]And hence make wise women exceedingly leery,[/nq]
[nq:1]I can't tell by this response whether or not you know what an "Australian kiss" is, so I'll only say ... from a recipient, and therefore am not certain of what a wise woman should be made leery in this situation.[/nq]
I'm not the least bit curious about its function as a euphemism.
Joanne
[nq:1]I can't tell by this response whether or not you know what an "Australian kiss" is, so I'll only say ... from a recipient, and therefore am not certain of what a wise woman should be made leery in this situation.[/nq]
I'm not the least bit curious about its function as a euphemism.
Joanne
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[nq:1]Okay, I have just reminded myself that you are as many leagues removed from the publishing industry as I am from your urban legends about hot dog filler[/nq]
I don't know where you got the idea that my father's actual experience is an urban legend, but I don't really know that I need to. Just to be sure, I checked Snopes, and the only urban legend I can find regarding hot dogs is the one
I don't know where you got the idea that my father's actual experience is an urban legend, but I don't really know that I need to. Just to be sure, I checked Snopes, and the only urban legend I can find regarding hot dogs is the one
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