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      • In a word, no. “Pardon my French” is an idiom exclusive to the English language, stemming from the two countries’ own millennium-old beef—and not one of the bourguignon type.
      www.rd.com/article/why-say-pardon-my-french-when-swear/
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  2. Aug 19, 2024 · But what about phrases which, on paper, make next to no sense? For instance, why do we apologise for our “French” when we swear in very clear English?

  3. Feb 19, 2023 · In a word, no. “Pardon my French” is an idiom exclusive to the English language, stemming from the two countries’ own millennium-old beef—and not one of the bourguignon type. While the rapport...

  4. Oct 8, 2013 · So “pardon my French” became an English-language locution indicating that the speaker had broken the rules of polite speech in English and asked to be excused. It had nothing at all to do with what we now call “bad language.”

  5. Pardon my French" or "Excuse my French" is a common English language phrase ostensibly disguising profanity as words from the French language. The phrase is uttered in an attempt to excuse the user of profanity, swearing, or curses in the presence of those offended by it, under the pretense of the words being part of a foreign language.

  6. Regardless of its origin story, “pardon my French” has become a widely recognized idiom in English today. While it may not always be necessary to use this phrase after swearing or using vulgar language, it can still be a polite way to acknowledge that one’s speech may have been offensive to others.

  7. To counter this, the less well-traveled (often poorer) people would, after swearing, loudly proclaim, towards those that had previously used French in the conversation, "Pardon my French." The latter stuck.

  8. Oct 26, 2012 · The phrase may have been appropriated for covering foul language because it fits the habit of ascribing unsavory habits or objects to the French through nicknames in English.

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