pardon my French
To excuse the speaker's frankness of expression or profanity.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Pardon my French, but this situation is a total mess.”
“Pardon my French, but that was a damn stupid mistake to make in front of the boss.”
“Pardon my French, but the sheer incompetence displayed during the negotiations was, quite frankly, infuriating to everyone involved.”
From the 19th-century usage of French to serve as a euphemism for vulgar language. The term functions as a linguistic deflection, ostensibly suggesting that any profanity uttered by the speaker is not actually English but belongs to a foreign tongue.
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French fact
The presence of French Canada as a distinct cultural, linguistic, and political force within the Canadian Confederation.
- 02
French leave
A departure taken quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone.
- 03
pardon me
Sorry; said as an apology.
- 04
take French leave
To leave quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone; to slip out.
- 05
thousand pardons
A conventionally polite request to be pardoned or excused.
Last updated August 10, 2026