Column by Judith Martin , Nicholas Martin and Jacobina Martin

Dear Miss Manners: I would like to hear your opinion on whether or not using “Excuse me” can be rude.

In my opinion, if I can see that a person’s activity will only take a minute, it is rude to say, “Excuse me,” and expect them to stop what they’re doing to allow me to accomplish my task. The proper thing to do, in my mind, is to patiently wait my turn. What do you think?

See Full Page