where does the expression pardon my french, after cursing come from??

Question

we say that after we curse, pardon my french. why???

Answer 1

Some English-speakers stereotype the French as permissive about anything risqué. This was particularly true a hundred years ago when the phrase took off as an "apology" for swearing. "Excuse my French" or "Pardon my French" isn't just play-acting that you're speaking a foreign language. It's also a bit like saying, "I know those words are naughty - but maybe I could get away with behaving like that in
France, where people are more tolerant of obscenity."


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Answer 2

"Pardon my French" or "Excuse my French" is a common English language phrase ostensibly disguising profanity as French. The phrase is uttered in an attempt to excuse the user of profanity or curses in the presence of those offended by it under the pretense of the words being part of a foreign language. Another interpretation is that the speaker is compelled to use the distasteful language and is apologizing to the audience for the necessity.

The phrase has found large use in broadcast television and family films where less offensive words are followed by "pardon my French" to emphasize their meaning without violating censorship or rating guidelines. A good example is in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Cameron calls Mr. Rooney and says, "Pardon my French, but you're an asshole." In another segment, Bueller says about Cameron "Excuse my French, but if we were to stick a lump of coal up Cameron's ***, we would have a diamond in two weeks."

Answer 3

"Pardon my French" or "Excuse my French" is a common English language phrase ostensibly disguising profanity as French. The phrase is uttered in an attempt to excuse the user of profanity or curses in the presence of those offended by it under the pretense of the words being part of a foreign language. Another interpretation is that the speaker is compelled to use the distasteful language and is apologizing to the audience for the necessity.

The phrase has found large use in broadcast television and family films where less offensive words are followed by "pardon my French" to emphasize their meaning without violating censorship or rating guidelines. A good example is in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Cameron calls Mr. Rooney and says, "Pardon my French, but you're an asshole." In another segment, Bueller says about Cameron "Excuse my French, but if we were to stick a lump of coal up Cameron's ***, we would have a diamond in two weeks."

It has been suggested that the French language is used because of the association of the French people with vulgarity, and that this euphemism is an example of Francophobia.

An innocuous theory is that when the English were looking around for a foreign language to put into the phrase "pardon my ...", the closest one and obvious choice was neighbouring French. Additionally, French was for a long time the most-spoken foreign language in the United Kingdom.

Some believe the expression may have come from 1950s intellectuals who were well-versed in French. In the fifties, cursing was considered to be a major taboo, so the speaker would actually curse in French to be more polite. In these instances, "Pardon my French" would refer to actual French.


Related expressions

Several expressions in French attempt to link various practices perceived as unsavory to England, e.g., "l'éducation anglaise" (disciplining children by sexually-tinged spanking). Ironically, several expressions are used by both the English and the French to describe the same unacceptable habit, but attributing the habit to the other people : e.g., "taking French leave" (leaving a party or other gathering without taking polite leave of one's host) is referred to in French as "filer à l'anglaise" (literally, "leaving English-style"), while the (now somewhat archaic) expression "French letter" (referring to a condom) is rendered in French as "capote anglaise". During the 16th century in England, genital herpes was called the "French disease"

Answer 4

It's normally used around small children to protect them from the obscenity of a curseword as most children don't know much french.

Answer 5

i've got observed with my constrained journey with French talking human beings of particular areas (un-named to guard my destiny commute plans) that they do no longer lots ask to be Pardoned for something. purely my jaundiced view ingredient. a delightful group who choose by no ability make an apology.

Answer 6

good question, i want to know the answer too.