meaning of "i beg your indulgence"

[thomas615]

What do one means when one says " I beg your indulgence"

 

[Barb_D]

I can't imagine saying that. If I heard it, I would guess the person wanted my attention to tell me about something that he thinks I may not really be interested in at first.

 

[Rover_KE]

It's an antiquated way of saying 'Bear with me.'


Rover

 

[BobK]

It's an antiquated way of saying 'Bear with me.'
Rover

:up: - though this risks a misunderstanding of what 'bear with me' means. ;-) A lot of shop assistants today think it's a fancy way of saying 'Wait'.

Begging (or craving) someone's indulgence is saying 'I know I'm young/inexperienced/old/new to this/learning..., but please make due allowance for my shortcomings.' No wonder Barb's never met it - it goes with the sort of bowing and scraping* that the Pilgrim Fathers wanted to put behind them!

b
PS * that's 'bowing' with an /aʊ/ not an /ǝʊ/. I'm not talking about cacophonous violin playing, I'm talking about being excessively deferential.

 

[Barb_D]

It seems to be a phrase that I"ve read in Georgette Heyer's Regency-era novels.

I thought it mean "Pay attention to me - even though I may not merit your notice"? Could it be used that way?

 

[BobK]

:up: - Yes, but 'Pay attention' in the specific sense 'listen to what I have to say, and engage in a subsequent conversation if necessary', not just 'notice'.

Georgette Heyer would certainly have used it - but as between social equals. In those days, polite conversation was lavishly sprinkled with this sort of language; at the end of a conversation, one or both participants would say 'Your servant, sir'*.

b
PS* For Lusophones: this is reminiscent of 'Às ordens da sua Excelência'.

 

[TheParser]

:up: - Yes, but 'Pay attention' in the specific sense 'listen to what I have to say, and engage in a subsequent conversation if necessary', not just 'notice'.

Georgette Heyer would certainly have used it - but as between social equals. In those days, polite conversation was lavishly sprinkled with this sort of language; at the end of a conversation, one or both participants would say 'Your servant, sir'*.

b
PS* For Lusophones: this is reminiscent of 'Às ordens da sua Excelência'.

Thank you, sir, for teaching me a new word this morning: Lusophone.