Pardon, how can a déclassé word be socially acceptable?

IT IS advice that will have Nancy Mitford turning in her grave: smart people should stop saying “What?” and start saying, “Pardon?”

Received wisdom has it that “pardon”, used when asking someone to repeat something, is the preserve of the middle classes – on a par with “toilet”, “serviette” and referring to lunch as “dinner”.

But Tatler, bible of the upper classes, has decreed that the word is now socially acceptable. “‘Pardon’ is a bit like a matching sofa and armchairs: de rigueur in some circles, déclassé in others. Nannies and schools will often educate children to respond with a nice, polite ‘pardon’ that will horrify patrician parents. But the thing about ‘pardon’ is, it is certainly polite and respectful – which is not to be underestimated,” the magazine says in its latest issue. “Children find it especially hard to deliver a polished ‘what’ and are extremely likely to appear spoilt and even thuggish.

“And so, although accepted highborn wisdom tells us that ‘what’ is the way forward, we recommend approaching it with caution. For fear of looking like an arrogant a-------.”

If “pardon” remains beyond the pale, Tatler suggests alternatives. ‘Sorry?’ is “lightly humble”. “Eh?” can be charming. Kate Fox, author of

Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour, said: “This word is the most notorious pet hate of the upper and upper-middle classes ... using such an unmistakable lower-class term is worse than swearing.”