thousand pardons
A conventionally polite request to be pardoned or excused.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“A thousand pardons, I did not mean to bump into you.”
“I am so sorry for interrupting your meeting; a thousand pardons for the intrusion.”
“He offered a thousand pardons for his uncharacteristic outburst, hoping his sincere apology would restore the peace between them.”
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bat a thousand
To achieve success at each attempt.
- 02
cast of thousands
A large number of people in one place or carrying out one action.
- 03
death by a thousand paper cuts
An ultimate negative outcome, such as the failure of a project, brought about by an excessive number of bureaucratic hurdles.
- 04
die a thousand deaths
To suffer repeatedly (often mentally rather than physically); to suffer extreme embarrassment or anxiety.
- 05
pardon me
Sorry; said as an apology.
- 06
pardon my French
To excuse the speaker's frankness of expression or profanity.
- 07
smile a thousand smiles
To smile a very beaming smile
Last updated August 10, 2026