I do not believe that I am yet, “ une fille perdue !” Pardon my French.Īnd the form excuse my French is first recorded in The Button-holder, a story by Baron Karl von Miltie published in The Lady’s Magazine (London) of November and December 1830. And the result is not, what he so pleasantly predicted in his preface. I have read this work of the “Divine Rousseau,” as he has been called. (It is therefore unnecessary to invoke the centuries-old adversarial relationship between the English and the French.) The form pardon my French is first attested in Randolph, a Novel (1823), by the American writer and critic John Neal (1793-1876): The current sense seems to derive from an actual apology for speaking French. The phrase ( if you’ll) excuse (or pardon) my French is used as an apology for swearing. It is a pert pot-pourri of pep and romance. Advertisement from The Mid-Sussex Times of 27 th March 1923:ĭo you enjoy a good laugh? If you do go and see “Pardon my French” at the Heath Theatre to-night or on Wednesday.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |