# Pardon my French? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2001, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607 "2001-08-28T21:36:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/1 "2001-08-28T21:36:14Z")
What is the origin of saying, “Pardon my French” after cursing? (Apologies if this has been covered before, I did search in GQ and came up empty) ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/2 "2001-08-28T21:37:06Z")
i don’t know, but it insults the french, and that always makes me happy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/3 "2001-08-28T22:25:08Z")
Apparently it derives from the English-French rivalry, particularly the English idea that the French are sexually promiscuous, as in “French kiss” or “French letter” (condom). A few references: [http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorf.htm](http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorf.htm) [http://www.brocku.ca/press/issues/v.34.26/focus/wacky.html](http://www.brocku.ca/press/issues/v.34.26/focus/wacky.html) [http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm#PardonMyFrench](http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm#PardonMyFrench) ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/4 "2001-08-28T23:33:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SpoilerVirgin \* > **Apparently it derives from the English-French rivalry, particularly the English idea that the French are sexually promiscuous, as in “French kiss” or _“French letter”_ (condom).** (italic mine) Which in a sense is funny, because in French, we often refer to a condom as a _"capote anglaise_ (English coat). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/5 "2001-08-28T23:42:18Z")
And in a similar vein, you can bet the folks in Amsterdam don’t refer to a cheap date as a _Dutch Treat_. ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/6 "2001-08-28T23:48:36Z")
Î guess “excuse my Yoruba” was already taken… ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/7 "2001-08-28T23:58:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by detop \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by SpoilerVirgin \* > > **Apparently it derives from the English-French rivalry, particularly the English idea that the French are sexually promiscuous, as in “French kiss” or _“French letter”_ (condom).** > > (italic mine) > > Which in a sense is funny, because in French, we often refer to a condom as a _"capote anglaise_ (English coat). 😃 \*\* According to one of the sites I linked above, syphilis is referred to as “French pox” by the English, and as “the English disease” by the French. ---
**Author:** ![Stella\_Fantasia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@Stella\_Fantasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stella_Fantasia)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/8 "2001-08-29T00:12:56Z")
Aaaand let’s not forget that the French expression for going AWOL translates to “English leave”… ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/9 "2001-08-29T00:17:46Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by SpoilerVirgin \* \*\* > [@](#): > > According to one of the sites I linked above, syphilis is referred to as “French pox” by the English, and as “the English disease” by the French. \*\* I remember reading (sorry no cite, it was a long time ago) that the term _French pox_ for syphilis originated in the 16[sup]th[/sup] century, during the Italian wars. At the time syphilis was unknown in France and the French armies that warred in Italy, especially in the Kingdom Of Naples (which was under the domination of Spain) were the ones that brought it back. ---
**Author:** ![Azazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Azazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azazel)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/10 "2001-08-29T00:45:24Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Stella_Fantasia \* > \*\*Aaaand let’s not forget that the French expression for going AWOL translates to “English leave”… \*\* ``` and in English, the term "taking French Leave" means the same thing. ``` . . . . …hmm, I think we have a pattern here. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/11 "2001-08-29T01:14:10Z")
Similarly, “torcheurs de mangeoires aux têtes vides” in English becomes “empty-headed animal food-trough wipers”. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-my-french/78607/12 "2001-08-29T01:27:17Z")
I swear that I’ve asked this before and been told the answer, but dang if I can find it. Is it true that the French nickname for a staple remover is a “grenouille”?