Alternatively, when the French let one fly during fondue, are they begging their guests to exculpate their English, lest their obscenity inflame beef over bourguignon? In a word, no. “Pardon my ...

My dad always used to preface the dropping of an F-bomb or a tangent of creative profanity with a request that listeners “pardon his French.” Surely you’ve known people who do this too or ...