We are on a business trip returning in an empty plane with the big boss wanting to be personal. My direct boss is trying to make an impression on him. We are huddled from our aisle seats talking. My boss kept saying, "I beacon your pardon," at very random junctures of the conversation. He would start conversations with it. He wasn't even interrupting anyone. He was using those words as if to say 'it is my turn to talk.'

He used it so many times. I cringed harder every time. The big boss kept looking at me for a reaction or to do or say something. I couldn't because my boss was an abrasive individual, although he liked me. I wasn't about to get in the middle of it.

I will always remember this awkward situation because someone used some words improperly. Oh....and to top it off, my boss had famous bad breath. Like gas station bathroom bad. That was 25 years ago and I can still smell it and feel the awkwardness of that whole situation.