Etymology Journal · D
Don't mind me
Meaning
- A polite way of asking people to ignore your presence or your peculiar behavior. It is often used when you are busy with a task and don't want to be a bother.
Polite, unobtrusive
Used in a sentence
- I am just going to sit in the corner and finish this report, don't mind me.
- Don't mind me, I am just organizing the pantry.
- You continue your meeting, don't mind me.
The backstory
This comes from standard polite British and American social conventions of the 19th century. It is a way of minimizing one's own social footprint.
Heard in
Nationwide
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