pardon my French
Excuse my inappropriate language. Usually used humorously, especially around children, as if to suggest that an inappropriate word was in fact a word from a different language. A: "John, don't use language like that in front of the kids." B: "Oops, pardon my French, everyone!" Pardon my French, but this tasted like shit.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Pardon my French,
and Excuse my French.Inf. Excuse my use of swear words or taboo words. (Does not refer to real French.) Pardon my French, but this is a hell of a day. What she needs is a kick in the ass, if you'll excuse my French.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
pardon my French
INFORMALPeople say pardon my French to apologize in a humorous way for using a rude word. What a bunch of a-holes, pardon my French.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
exˌcuse/ˌpardon my ˈFrench
(informal, humorous) used for saying you are sorry when you have used or are going to use rude or offensive language: Ouch, bloody hell! Oops, excuse my French! ♢ If you’ll pardon my French, he’s a bloody fool.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
Pardon my French
and Excuse my French sent. Excuse my use of swear words or taboo words.; Excuse my choice of vocabulary. (Does not refer to real French.) What she needs is a kick in the butt, if you’ll excuse my French.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
pardon/excuse my French
Please excuse the strong language. Exactly why
French should mean “bad language” is not known, but this usage dates from the late 1800s. Eric Partridge speculated that the phrase was picked up by British soldiers in France during World War I and was first recorded during this period. However, given that language such as the
F-word has become commonplace in popular entertainment and public life, this cliché is probably obsolescent, if not obsolete. Also see
swear like a trooper;
you should excuse the expression.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
pardon my French
Please excuse my language. In the days when language propriety was more of an issue than it is now, using a word or phrase that was “unfit for mixed company” was likely to lead to embarrassment. Since French was considered a racy language, people excused themselves with “pardon my French.”
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price