Dictionary

pardon my French en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ˌpɑɹd(ə)n maɪ ˈfɹɛnt͡ʃ/ (General-American)
• /ˌpɑːdn̩ maɪ ˈfɹɛnt͡ʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From the use of French to mean “vulgar language”, ostensibly because the words used are not in English.

Meanings

1. (humorous, idiomatic, intransitive, often) To excuse the speaker's frankness of expression or profanity.
   • That computer is a worthless piece of shit, if you’ll pardon my French.
   • Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond. 1986 June 11, John Hughes, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, spoken by Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick):
   • 'Have you been in England long?' / 'A damned sight too long—if you'll pardon my French,' she answered. 1960, Diana Holman-Hunt, chapter 6, in My Grandmothers and I, London: Hamish Hamilton, published 1988, →ISBN, page 162:
   • Look, now it's the dolly, not Parton / But pardon my French / Give no fucks about no nigga / Give no fucks about no bitch 2018 July 16, “Check”, in The Vault, performed by Kash Doll [pseudonym; Arkeisha Antoinette Knight]:

Forms

Descendants

pardonnez mon français

Relateds

not to put too fine a point on it · swear

Synonyms

excuse my français · pardon my français · pardonnez my French · pardonnez mon français · forgive my French · pardon mon français · excuse my French

Translations (42)

pt desculpa o palavreado (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · pl z przeproszeniem (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · da undskyld sproget (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · fi anteeksi kielenkäyttöni (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · scn scusannu a palora (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · mk изви́нете за мо́ето изразу́вање (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ro scuzați-mi limbajul (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · hu már bocsánat (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ar اُعْذُرْنِي (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · da undskyld mit franske (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · hu már elnézést (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ro scuză-mi limbajul (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · it con rispetto parlando (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · de mit Verlaub (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ar لَا تُؤَاخِذْنِي (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · uk вибачте за мою французьку (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · de auf Deutsch gesagt (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · no unnskyld språket mitt (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · mk изви́нете за и́зразот (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · it mi si passi l'espressione (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · sw ashakum (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · es perdona mi francés (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · pl za przeproszeniem (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · de wenn ich offen sprechen darf (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · es perdona mis garabatos (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · de auf gut Deutsch (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ja 下品な言い方で恐縮だけど… (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · hu ha szabad így kifejeznem magam (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · it scusate il francesismo (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · hu bocsásson meg a világ (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ru извини́те за мо́й францу́зский (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · de entschuldigen Sie meine Ausdrucksweise (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · el συγγνώμη για τα γαλλικά μου! (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · sv ursäkta språket (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · de verzeihen Sie den Ausdruck (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · fr passez-moi l'expression (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · de wenn Sie den Ausdruck erlauben (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · hu ha szabad így mondanom (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · scn scusannu u francisìsimu (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · pt com o perdão da palavra (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ru извини́те за выраже́ние (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity) · ar أَسْتَمِيحُكَ عُذْرًا (to excuse the speaker’s frankness of expression or profanity)