Fauxpology
noun

- a false apology that you say or write in order to tell someone that you are sorry, but you do not really mean it

Collins Dictionary

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WINNIE THE POOH BANNED IN CHINA

When the satirical American cartoon “South Park” mocked Chinese censorship, China banned it. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the show’s creators, promptly issued an apology:

“We welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts… Xi [Jinping] doesn’t look like Winnie the Pooh at all… Long live the Great Communist Party of China! May this autumn’s sorghum [a cereal crop] harvest be bountiful! We good now China?”

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APOLOGISE OR ELSE!

In the classic comedy film “A Fish Called Wanda”, John Cleese (the lawyer) offers the following apology to Kevin Kline (the killer) for calling him stupid. Kline is hanging Cleese upside down, outside a window:

“All right, all right, I apologize. I’m really, really sorry. I apologize unreservedly. I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact and was in no way fair comment and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.”

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SYNONYMS

back-handed apology, fake apology, FAUXPOLOGY, ifpology, nopology, non-apology, notpology, tongue-in-cheek apology

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, discuss something like:

“FAUXPOLOGY is a good example of French being integrated into English."

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THANKS to Josh for suggesting today’s word!

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Paul Smith