Recently, I saw the above phrase written somewhere…I can’t quite recall where at the moment… I wondered about its true meaning because I had a sense that it may be negative: the tone in which it was communicated seemed sarcastic. So, I did a little bit of Googling and this is what I found:
It can be a postitive phrase meaning: “I thank you for your patience”, or “I do appreciate your understanding” (see more here).
It may also have a negative connotation (from Reddit): It is negative in that it’s self-deprecating. It’s acknowledging the real, or imagined, inconvenience you may have caused for the other person.
Indulgent: allowing excessive leniency, or generosity; enjoyed as a special treat, or pleasure. (Find synonyms here.)
I pondered on the meaning of “indulgent” for a bit. I realized that if someone wanted to get away with deliberately wasting someone’s time, money, understanding, etc., because this gave them some type of pleasure, they could use this phrase as a slick way to get away with what they had done to the individual that ‘indulged’ them.
You may want to think about the meaning of this statement the next time you come across it. Is the one expressing it being polite, self-deprecating, or is s/he jerking you around?
Helen
