| 单词 | excuse |
| 例句 | If Mrs. Smith hadn’t already purchased the tickets two weeks ago when I’d accepted the invitation, I’d have made up an excuse now to not go. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z Now, whenever they were stopped at the interrogation stations, they had a good excuse for being on the road. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z I turned away so that I should not watch him search for an excuse. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z Well, for instance, they don’t need any big excuse to kill someone. Twelve Angry Men 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z Granddaddy didn’t give any excuse; he asked Alberto to hitch up a horse. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z But if I was right—if I called it correctly—if I willingly gave someone an excuse to test those rumors about me…well…I don’t know. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z Sip excused us, saying, “Sirs, we is enjoying some bread.” The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves 2009-10-13T00:00:00Z Luke watched Annie’s apartment for fifteen minutes after the door closed, making excuses to go to the window. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z Or maybe he was just too hungry these days to think and Kevin’s death was merely an excuse. The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z He might have excused himself if he had not remembered that Adam was a rich man. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z Now, me f I've got no use for lame excuses or imitation love that packs a punch. Bronx Masquerade 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z This “automobile accident” is a new crutch to help you make excuses for your meaningless, impotent existence. A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z “Well, I hope you left some suitable excuse,” said her husband, somewhat appeased, as he added a dash of cayenne pepper to the soup. The Awakening 1899-04-22T00:00:00Z Second, she’s got a great voice and will take any excuse to use it in front of groups of people. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z "And mark me! No excuses this time. I want every word set down. Understood?" The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z Not that my stomach needs an excuse for rejecting that watery paste. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Everything explodes inside Mark at once—he’s not going to let this sorry excuse for a human ruin their chance to escape. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z Chamberlain rose, excused himself, stepped out into the sunlight. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z Citra sat through the wedding ceremony, but excused herself before the reception and took a publicar back to Scythe Faraday’s house, unable to bear another minute of it. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z Mr. Barrett asked me why I was looking out the window and I made some excuse about the snow. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z Charles had a rather startling talent for forgery which, according to Camilla, dated from early childhood—expert report-card signatures by the fourth grade, entire excuse notes by the sixth. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z All of his fury was saved for Pearl, and later that afternoon, when she tiptoed upstairs and rapped on his door, he was not in the mood to listen to her excuses. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z It’s still no excuse, but it’s easy to see how it all got away from him. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z The excuse works, mostly because everyone knows that Katherine and I don’t really get on well. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z Don’t you think . . . excuse me for being frank. The Marvels 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z He shifted awkwardly in his seat, as if he wanted to get to his feet, but couldn’t think of a polite way to excuse himself. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z I found myself trying to think of excuses to stay, to see him first and then make my escape. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z She asked to be excused, and dumped her dishes into the stainless steel sink. George 2015-08-25T00:00:00Z As my nose was still swollen and bloody I was excused Vespers. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z “Sometimes, Sam, I just want you to listen. Anytime I bring up feeling like I’m being treated unfairly because I’m a black girl, you downplay it or make excuses. You never admit it’s about race.” Piecing Me Together 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z But soon Gwen became distracted by a handsome young lord of her own, and Ash excused herself from the dancing circle, feeling that she had had enough. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z “The door won’t be busy for hours yet. Come give an old man an excuse to sit and have a drink?” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z By now, the wandering is really an excuse to drive somewhere and make out. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z “I think Grandpa makes up phony excuses for her not being around. This is a dangerous place. He has lied about other things. I get the feeling he’s trying to protect us from the truth.” Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z Finch’s Landing was used only by travelers: the steps gave the ladies an excellent excuse to swoon; their luggage was left at the cotton landing— to debark there in front of the Negroes was unthinkable. Go Set a Watchman: A Novel 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z "You are excused, Ms. Pulaski," Turtle said offhandedly, her eyes on the will. The Westing Game 1979-01-01T00:00:00Z “Now, if you children will excuse me...,” said Dr. Zinchenko, touching her Bluetooth earpiece. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics 2016-01-05T00:00:00Z My stomach rumbles, giving me an excuse to put everything away. I Can Make This Promise 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z For a week that was Shukumar’s excuse for not leaving the house. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z Cory is not repentant, in fact makes excuses about having had to cheat and steal all the way up from the projects, that’s how his life has been. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z I murmured an excuse and slipped away, leaving them to their own formidable devices. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z “We shall begin today. We shall divide the days into teaching thy mind and teaching thy hands, then weariness shall not give thee excuse for discouragement.” The Door in the Wall 1949-01-03T00:00:00Z Plus, at this point, they would just think I was making excuses like Mustafa. Amina's Voice 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z I am grateful for the lecture today, glad to have an excuse for not going home and hearing whatever Oriana has to say to me. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z There’s no excuse for absence because there was a boy in another section that was dying and still they brought him in on a stretcher. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z But what the nurse actually said was, “I know. Isn’t it terrible? I sympathize with you, Doctor. There is no excuse for these people living in filth.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z “You will join me for breakfast at eight-thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all.” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z Cora’s own act of murder he excused as a matter of self-protection, but Red’s naked bloodthirstiness was another matter. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z Heather: “You don’t like anything. You are the most depressed person I’ve ever met, and excuse me for saying this, but you are no fun to be around and I think you need professional help.” Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z I excused myself to answer it, breathing a sigh of relief. Bodega Dreams 2000-03-14T00:00:00Z So I excuse myself and go outside and over to the chicken coop. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z “I reckon I might need to talk to Tristan for a bit. Will y’all excuse us?” Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z And he knew that Joe was on the point of making an excuse and getting out. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z When it was just him and Jetta, he could find any excuse not to speak English. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z “The prince showed me the pups yesterday—though I think he was just looking for an excuse to get out of his mother’s court for a while.” Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z The students used it as an excuse to act out, and she seemed to think only the worst of us. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z “The party is breaking up anyway, Don Enrique. This rain is a perfect excuse.” In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Before I could come up with a convincing excuse to avoid death by indigestion, a hand fell on my lower back. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z “I knew him, knew his family’s situation. After he stopped coming around with you, he was out of sight and out of mind to me, and there’s no excuse for that.” The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z There’s no excuse that is going to save me. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z And an excuse was all this guy needed. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z He did not invite Rowan or her, and at dinner that night he broke into uncontrollable sobbing and had to excuse himself. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z Running through his mind were lies or excuses he could offer his father for his involvement in the fight. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z “Police business, sir. Now, if you could just excuse me.” Artemis Fowl 2001-04-26T00:00:00Z As she made a note she said, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Not paying taxes is a federal offense." Hole in My Life 2002-03-26T00:00:00Z “You must excuse me. I’ll leave you to get them drunk.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z Then I said, in a grown-up voice, “Will you excuse me a minute?” Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z Other paying guests had arrived, and The Souls excused themselves as they made trips in and out of the kitchen bringing tea and tiered trays of tea sandwiches and cakes. The View From Saturday 1996-09-01T00:00:00Z “Meetings which you used as an excuse to start arguing with Duke Perrington.” Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z I can see her chess mind sorting through the pieces of my words, not quite believing my excuses, looking a dozen steps ahead for what I might do next. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z But, like I said before, Muhammad is not too intuitive, so he accepts my excuse that I’m practicing for some school play and not experiencing serious pangs of love. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z Dad’s excuse was that they wanted me to enjoy my summer. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to reread this thing for the hundredth time today.” Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z After thinking of possible excuses, I finally said, “I live too far. I’ll bring my collection to school. It’s not much, just a few Lincoln Head pennies.” The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z I couldn’t call her without a plan—a plan and a really good excuse for not contacting her sooner. Hope Springs 2021-08-10T00:00:00Z He looks at my days away from work, for which I have written the excuse “woman’s problems.” The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z “Maxim did not come. He made some excuse and went into the library. I came back home almost at once. Perhaps Mrs. Lacy can tell you.” Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z She kept dreaming that she was being eaten by rats, and she used every excuse she could to spend the night at friends’ houses. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z “I tell you this and I tell it once: stop the man in black. Stop him for good and all. If you fail, there will be no excuses; I will find another giant.” The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z He took my arm, and I walked with him to the elevator, grateful to have an excuse to avoid the stairs. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z “Scared isn’t a good excuse!” she shouted into the couch. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z After a few days I’d get up off the couch and return to the Craig who didn’t need to make excuses for himself. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z I don’t want to give her another excuse to beat me, like she did in the diaper incident. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z Maybe she recognized the sound' of my voice, but anyway, before I can excuse myself and slink away, the little girl throws her arms around me and buries her face in my middle. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z Her dad was a doctor, and he wrote an excuse. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z Now I'm reminding myself how to tell lies and excuses again. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z I ask him if he can sign a medical card excusing me from work. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z He thought she was beautiful like that, girlish, but he didn’t want her excuse to her parents, if they were still awake, to sound ridiculous. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z “I’ma tell you why I said something so hateful. Though there is no excuse.” It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z That’s my excuse, yet none of them really needed me all that much. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z The best part is that Brademas obviously wants the whole paper chain thing to be over, and now he’s lost his only excuse for killing it. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z “Why don’t you try to stop flying, Orr? You’ve got an excuse.” Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z “And what a scream! If she had been in great pain one would have excused it, but she only wanted to bring us all here: I know her naughty tricks.” Jane Eyre 1847-10-16T00:00:00Z If I can’t leave this car, if I have to hear the chief’s “following orders” excuse, the least I can do, the one thing I can do, is remind him that he knows us. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z It was the same each year with Auntie Mae—excuses and hugs, but no gift. March Forward, Girl 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z When the horse ran poorly, Pollard skipped over the disappointing race notes and invented tales of Preservator’s impressive feats, dreaming of bad-luck excuses to account for the horse’s losses. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z “Not as wrong as hiding from my crimes for two thousand years. Genius does not excuse evil, Percy. My time-has come. I must face my punishment.” The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z "If you would excuse us for a few moments." The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z I was trying to think of an excuse when he said it again. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z When my doctor told me that I had a really bad deviated septum, it seemed like a good excuse to go under the knife. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z I thought everyone else had a better excuse to grieve than we did—after all, they hadn’t killed her—but I knew better than to try to talk to the Colonel when he was mad. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z I'd squat down to pet the cat and wake up on the floor eight hours later, having lost a perfectly good excuse to change my clothes. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z I managed to get out of taking my French exams the next week, due to the very excellent excuse of having a gunshot wound to the stomach. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z When she says, “Excuse me, excuse me,” I recognize an accent. Piecing Me Together 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z Basil’s mouth worked silently for a moment, as if to make some excuse, then apparently decided better of it. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z “Good for you. Now, I do need to speak with them, so please excuse us.” The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z I was about to make up some excuse when I felt the clickety-clacks slow down and saw Cold Sassy going by the train windows. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z Big nosy Shirley points her finger at us and says, “The meeting is at seven so be on time. No excuses!” The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z “Oh, well, excuse me for feeling any opposition to you waltzing into my room without knocking and suggesting that I adapt to your uninvited presence.” Odd One Out 2018-08-09T00:00:00Z When I finally excused myself, giving her a kiss on the cheek and telling her I needed to sign the prisoners' release papers, she stopped me. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z The excuse slips off my tongue almost before I’m aware of it. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z But when Nailer thought about it, most of those words and ideas just seemed like good excuses for people to behave badly and think they could get away with it. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z They talked about the White Album on the way to school, but just as an excuse to stare at each other's mouths. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z We ought never excuse violence or tolerate behavior that jeopardizes the safety and security of others. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z Those are decent explanations, but they are no excuse. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z “Please,” a rich voice answered from the street, pausing to think of some excuse. A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z Plus, Jennifer had to ask if she could be excused before she got up and left the table. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z “You took a simple gesture as an excuse to humiliate me. Do you have some delusional notion that you have a right to me?” Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z “I know you miss your grandfather, but that’s no excuse for acting like some little demon.” Clayton Byrd Goes Underground 2017-05-09T00:00:00Z But it was the very uncertainty7 which distressed the others and excused their behaviour. The Metamorphosis 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z We yelled across the room at one another, came in and out of our one room house without saying “excuse me” and “may I come in,” or even knocking. When I Was Puerto Rican 1993-09-20T00:00:00Z The mess hall OIC stood on the bridge and decided when a gallery would be called to eat and when it would be excused. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z "Well, as to that, some gave me soft words and some blunt, some made excuses, some promises, some only lied." A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z “Excuse me, excuse me, please,” I called after him. Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z At recess that day, all three of them managed to find an excuse to stand close to the invisible line that, by unspoken agreement, divided the girls’ side of the yard from the boys’. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z Maybe the Director actually hopes we will try something else so he can have an excuse to bring the hammer down on us. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z I made up some excuse about it being a bad weekend for my family. Because of Mr. Terupt 2010-10-11T00:00:00Z “Do you need to be excused, too, Edward?” Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z She stood in the doorway, trying to frame an excuse or apology, but as usual the words did not come quickly enough to mind. Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z He guessed what frustrations guards must be experiencing to excuse the rude things they said to him. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z "I wanted to make sure I came today," I babble pleasantly, trying to think of an excuse that will convince her I belong in this house. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z Mean words about minding her own business and who cared about my broken-up, sorry excuse for a family. Wish 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z It hadn’t been hard to get the Underlanders to excuse them for bed. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z The eggplants gave them an excuse for breaking the rules and starting a conversation. Seedfolks 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z He always felt like he should say something to her, even if it was just hello or excuse me. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z Week after week, aided or coerced by their parents, they came, and week after week Milton Stephanides excused himself to go up to his bedroom and play his clarinet out the window. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z He liked Linda and he didn’t want one of his last memories of her to be full of quivering excuses and weak reassurances. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z “She’s proud, but I don’t believe she’d mind, for that dowdy tarlaton is all she has got. She may tear it tonight, and that will be a good excuse for offering a decent one.” Little Women 1868-01-01T00:00:00Z I could tell there was a “but” coming—a reason, an explanation, an excuse. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z I want to go, I tell him, so you can stop making excuses. Mockingbird 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z I wasn’t particular; in fact, I never minded an excuse to go anywhere outside of our town—if you can call it that. Red Kayak 2004-09-23T00:00:00Z “No, that’s an excuse, too. The real truth is I was scared what she might think of me, not you.” Rules 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z He was being excused a few minutes early so he wouldn’t be a second late for football practice. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z Her father’s business was to announce James’s being gone out to put the horses to, preparatory to their now daily drive to Randalls; and she had, therefore, an immediate excuse for disappearing. Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z Maybe I’d pass for Mom after she sucked from a helium-filled balloon, but I didn’t think of that excuse in time. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z C.P. paced the floor until the food arrived, at last running out of excuses to sit down in a public place with two black people. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z She wants to stay home and moon around, find some more excuses to sit and look at me. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z I don’t want to give her an excuse to be mean to me again. Bronx Masquerade 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z Kondrachev organized chess competitions and planned tours for famous Soviet musicians—activities that offered the perfect excuse for traveling about the city, scouting out quiet meeting spots, and arranging clandestine rendezvous with DIOMID. Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z Nothing wrong with that, but it should not be used as an excuse to destroy the stability of language. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z I’m waiting for her to tell me there’s no excuse for putting the whole camp at risk. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z The whole tower seemed to be nothing but an excuse to build a staircase. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z She wants to believe my excuses so bad. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z "Pray excuse me, my lords. Other business calls." A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z I search for an excuse that doesn’t involve his arms being around me. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z That my mind was in a meltdown is no excuse. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z “I do. Any time. Just ask for Jeremy. Any of the crows can find me. And now, if you will excuse me...” Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH 1970-06-01T00:00:00Z During the school year I was excused from class for an hour or two to serve at a funeral mass. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z For they had the power to use a paper doll, first to destroy his integrity and then as an excuse for killing him. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z It isn’t art; it’s an excuse not to take sewing class. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z The others excuse you, judging it necessary that those who are in more danger and who hold more responsibility should have a greater reward. The Prince 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z But my mother was loath to pass up even the flimsiest excuse for a celebration—she once invited friends over for our cockatiel’s birthday—in part because she loved to show off our house. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z I made up some excuse about wanting them to help me plan a birthday party for June. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z I would have been glad to stop for any excuse, even that awful tea. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z I excused myself and hurried out the door. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z I made excuses for him, desperate to validate the reasons he chose to work with me. Salt to the Sea 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z “Why did you come in here. To give him some excuse to worry me again. You’ve been out enough today. I think you’d better sit down here and play with him.” The Sound and the Fury 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z “Tonight will be moonless, but it will not be dark. I promise. Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare for our party. I will see everyone back here at dusk! Good-bye!” The Wild Robot 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z With the same excuse: I still was not feeling better. Night 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z I try to get out of it with the most logical excuse. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z Such a charming boy, the last, but I did not excuse his desertion. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z But despite my pressing new activities, I was not excused from my music lessons. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z She was young, pretty, and blond and visited often, using as her excuse the fact that her friend Della Otis lived across the street. The Devil in the White City 2003-02-11T00:00:00Z “God knows it helps me not to excuse myself, Sir Gawaine. I would rather to have killed my nephew, Sir Bon. But I did not see them, Gawaine, and I have paid it!” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z “No—only when the Birthday falls on a Full Moon. But—you must excuse me. I must attend to the gate.” Mary Poppins 1962-10-27T00:00:00Z She helped make dinner but didn’t join Mother and Father in eating it, instead excusing herself and going to her room. The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z “Now, if you will excuse me,” said Fred, “I need to go take a nap. My first episode streams tonight and we’re having a party at Jenny’s place to celebrate.” Dog Squad 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z “They all got excuses. But really, they just too scared.” The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z “If you will excuse me, Madam,” said Balan, “perhaps we could manage the ordeal tonight? I believe the candidate is loose, for I did not hear him being tied up.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z I want to throw my miserable, complaining, excuse- making mouth from my face and get on with it. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z How could she possibly make excuses for him? The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z An excuse leaped to my throat, but he cut me off with a knowing look, and slammed the door behind him. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z Teachers spent more time with kids from “better” homes, and believed their excuses when papers were late or assignments lost. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z I try to scan my pathetic excuse of memory. The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z I excused myself from the two men and made my way over to my father’s room. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z And I used my mom as an excuse, accusing her of not appreciating or accepting me, when I should have been saying those words into a mirror. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z One by one, our guests in the stand excused themselves to go get ready for the evening balls. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z Darin excusing himself when Nan and Pop discussed the most recent Martial raids, fists clenched. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z “We don’t know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed.” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z “You’ll excuse me, but the people in this neck of the woods are mighty suspicious about that kind of declaration,” Bernabe said. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z She could make a fuss now and wake Ridgeway; Boseman would give him some excuse and that would be the end of it. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z They invented excuses to touch him, to see if he was still himself, still warm. Maniac Magee 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z “Not at all, you began it. What do you mean by saying I was trying to find an excuse? Excuse for what?” Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z “Could he write me a note for a medical card, excusing me from work?” The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z The gongs in Remny Tower were striking Sixth Hour, midnight, and I took them as my excuse to go. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z Sula was trying them out and discarding them without any excuse the men could swallow. Sula 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z As soon as I could without making Mama more suspicious, I excused myself. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z She'd heard their excuse—different versions of it—time and time again, but they were always so entertaining that she was game to hear it once more. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z Before Dad can ask me questions, I finish my food off and ask to be excused. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z No, Kit had to agree, there was not the slightest excuse for lingering further. The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z “I’ll accept no excuse if you return a book to me that has been badly handled.” I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z He dreamed so rarely that the dream-telling did not come easily to him anyway, and he was glad to be excused from it. The Giver 1993-04-01T00:00:00Z They say it’s a sign of hatred when a white person says it and a sign of bad upbringing and ignorance when one our own calls it out, so there ain’t no good excuses. Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z Guiteau always had an excuse to explain why he couldn't repay a debt and needed to borrow again. Ambushed! 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z No one, from the youngest novice to the prioress, is excused from kitchen work. Ophelia 2006-10-31T00:00:00Z Then we all find a reason to be excused from one class or another, sneak the papers and tape out from under our shirts, and get those signs up faster than Ms. Wyman changes moods. The Misfits 2001-10-01T00:00:00Z Cluny listened to the fox’s pleas, knowing that they were merely an excuse to gain her freedom. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z Then, she thanked me for not trying to make what I did seem less by offering a lot of excuses. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z “Nothing. I just told—excuse me, warned—Twinkle that you guys can get a little intense about higher education.” From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z I was constantly hoping for an excuse to stop playing, and Jeffrey often wasn’t feeling well. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z I quietly excuse myself and carry Uncle Paul’s duffel bag to my bedroom. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z In any case, I did not look up from my reading, and a few moments passed during which I waited for Miss Kenton to excuse herself and leave. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z Then suddenly she threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z Jinny peered around, as if she might find an excuse for her presence on the floor or windowsill. Orphan Island 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z In truth Roy had only one short chapter to read for Mr. Ryan’s history class, but he wanted an excuse to stay home. Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z Like a human dad, making some lame excuse for not being around. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z They also call into question the legitimacy of “convenience” as an excuse for the mass imprisonment of black and brown men in ghetto communities. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z “Prometheus sent Zeus a message with a bunch of excuses for supporting Kronos. ‘I was just trying to minimize the damage,’ blah, blah. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z "Cas, don't 'how was work' me. Why are you in a cab? And excuse me, sir, no offense, but who are you?" she asked. Ghost 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z Matter of fact, I probably got the longest list of excuses for missing homework of anyone alive. Bronx Masquerade 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z Then he announced that this conversation had come to an end, and Anatole could consider himself excused from the table and this house. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z “True. But they were all searching for belonging. She was, too. Not that it’s an excuse to have possibly mind-blowing sex with a French dude...” Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z Mistakes and accidents were not excuses, and punishment was not avoidable. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z On top of that, I was looking for a good excuse to get rid of that dog. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z The fact that the lover was a god and could not be resisted was, as many stories show, not accepted as an excuse. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z Mama had given me a perfect excuse not to go. The Rock and the River 2009-01-06T00:00:00Z As soon as I could, I excused myself and ran off to call the Object. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z England now had no excuse; the abolitionists would force their countrymen to face the question: Was England a nation built on Christian beliefs or on treating people as property? Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science 2010-11-15T00:00:00Z “Anybody wants an excuse to forget your birthday, you can’t get much better than the fact that it’s not actually on the calendar.” Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z “Besides, Director Van Helsing already thinks I’m a criminal. That message is the excuse he needs to kick me out.” Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z Poirot rose, uttered excuses to the Swedish lady and followed the man out of the dining car. Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z I’d never needed an excuse to think about Ocean, but Valentine’s Day was only two days away, and it was hard not to be constantly reminded of what I’d lost. A Very Large Expanse of Sea 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z Symptoms were feigned, and our mothers wrote notes excusing our absences on the day of the intramural softball tournament. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z It was a ridiculous excuse, but Chris accepted it and said how sorry he was. The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z “You must excuse me, Captain-General. My lord father is buried beneath the sept, and it has been too many years since last I prayed for him.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z “No holding back or excuses. But stay. I will try first and see if I am man enough to bear my father’s arms.” Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z But it was not love: I do not claim that; I hold no brief for myself, I do not excuse it. Absalom, Absalom! 1936-01-01T00:00:00Z The jocks—excuse me—the student athletes, sit in front of the hearts to judge the new romances. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z Lately, I been making up excuses, saying Momma’s keeping me busy with chores, stuff like that. The Skin I'm In 1998-10-16T00:00:00Z Hercules paid no attention to the implied excuse. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z I’d always had excuses until a few days earlier, when I called his house to see how he was doing. Tuesdays with Morrie 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z Her excuse was always that my early body development made me look older than the rest of the class. March Forward, Girl 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z But I only thought of that excuse later. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z I swear this isn’t an excuse to not go outside. They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z “I’m terribly sorry. Will you excuse me now? I have a student with me.” The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z But going gave him an excuse to leave the apartment, so he wouldn’t have to spend the whole day stuck with his sisters and nothing to do. The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z But there are many Smatterers and ignorant Fellows, that would fain reconcile the ancient Writers, and excuse these lyes; not seeing what damage they bring to the Common-wealth of Learning. The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z Unable to stomach any more, Rowan excused himself. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z I’m sure it was occasionally just an excuse to get us kids out of the classroom and have us run around on the grass. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z She’s nothing to me, she dislikes me, she’d have me out of the house in a minute, or worse, if she could think up any excuse at all. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z Rachel and Ema were stalling by slowly filling out job applications, but their excuses were wearing thin. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z Kathy joined a neighborhood group to play bunko, a social dice game favored by Alpharetta women, many of whom think of it as an excuse to get together and have a few glasses of wine. Class Matters 2005-09-02T00:00:00Z There's no excuse for the behavior I exhibited and I don't expect you to forgive me. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z That the other guardians had been right all along, and there was no excuse for my art being so rubbish…” “Hold on, Tommy. Did she actually say your art was rubbish?” Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z Though we can go anywhere to get a slice, we take the train all the way to the North Side because we’re always looking for excuses to get out of our neighborhood. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z You are hereby ordered to appear before this court as noted below and continue to appear from day-to-day hereafter until legally excused. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, “That’s you done, my dear,” and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1997-06-26T00:00:00Z I will, Uncle Pa. The day of the exam I’m excused from work. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z And then I asked to be excused from the table. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z “You’ll excuse me,” he said, “but no one would believe it to look at you. I take off my hat to you. I do, indeed.” Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z “If the paper chain project is over, so is his excuse for camping out across the street from our school.” Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z No reason to give them an excuse to hurt you. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z The humid air pummeled us as soon as we left the air-conditioned science building, but I was still grateful for the excuse to escape the classroom. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z If someone confronted him about it later, he would have his excuse in his pocket. The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z For once, my sisters and I got excused from spending the whole livelong morning playing Ding Dong Schoolhouse with Mother. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z “You’re coming with us, and I don’t want to hear any more excuses. Even if you only stay for one hour, you’re going to have a little bit of fun tonight.” Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z But she always made such excellent excuses, and purred so affectionately, that it was impossible not to believe in her good intentions. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story 1945-08-17T00:00:00Z I mean, if nothing else had happened these past few days, I might have thought Dante’s excuse was believable. Maybe He Just Likes You 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z Maybe he was telling himself what a rotten excuse for a father he was for not treating me better, but I doubted it. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z The drinks are all alcohol-free, which makes sense since dying isn’t an excuse to sell alcohol to minors. They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z My excuse is that in this era of planned obsolescence, when a thing breaks down I can usually find something in my collection to repair it—a toilet, or a motor, or a lawn mower. Travels with Charley in Search of America 1962-01-01T00:00:00Z Once the train reached a cruising speed of eight hundred miles per hour, Citra excused herself to use the restroom, where she splashed water on her face, trying not to let exhaustion overtake her. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z “You guys are a pathetic excuse for a soccer team,” she told the boys, her voice breaking with anger. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference 2009-04-21T00:00:00Z “Maybe the rain gave the frogs an excuse to drop in,” Calder grinned. Chasing Vermeer 2004-06-01T00:00:00Z “You should excuse the suggestion, please, but I thought your tempo was off tonight in the ‘Stars and Stripes Forever.’ The Cricket in Times Square 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z Not even the courtesy of a plausible excuse! From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z “But excuse me, sir,” said Lyra, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how can we have come this far if we en’t dead? Because this is the world of the dead, isn’t it?” The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z Even though it’s not an excuse, I want you to understand that I was heartbroken when I got home and my uncle was visiting and he asked me why I was looking so blue. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z “No catch. If you stay after to learn chess for a few days, I’ll excuse you from homework on the days you stay.” Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z Luckily, I was saved from having to make an excuse by Marea coming to pay her respects. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z I'm not just making excuses for what I did. The Old Willis Place 2004-09-20T00:00:00Z “Please excuse me, grandfathers. May I be allowed to clap hands?” The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z Mr. MacGregor excused himself because he had to rest up for an operation. The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z “You’ll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn’t matter. We have you now. We’ve known you were coming for weeks.” The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z It didn’t sound like an explanation—it sounded like an excuse. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z “Built in 1939, it’s open twenty-four hours a day, so there’ll be no excuse to not get those papers in on time.” Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z He tried to cook up a good excuse for being there, in case Lonna or Leon noticed him. Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z There was no excuse for him to have shot someone, but it didn't make sense to kill him. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z “Thanks for the meal. I hadn’t eaten all day. The Forest Park PTA is meeting tonight at seven to discuss the firings. I hope you’ll all be there. Now if you’ll excuse me...” The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Oscar switches to clipped English, making an excuse about discussing a bill, then says to Luna, in Spanish, “Just think about it.” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z Mary swiftly threw her bridle and stirrups over his back, excusing herself for being clumsy, and mounted at once. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z School gave me an excuse to stay in my room for long hours. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z My sister then said that it was all her fault, that she was provoking him, but my dad said it was no excuse. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z Hastily the young mouse excused himself and left. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z However, Zeus was glad enough of an excuse not to lay hands on her. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z Then I excuse myself to the library, which inspires no shortage of taunts from Tom, who claims that “libraries are for girls.” Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z I put my hand up, I am excused. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z And so while Lenore huddled with other employees filing police reports and requesting interviews with hospital workers, Dell excused himself and accessed the school district website. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z I remembered how my father had spoken to Clay’s mother in a halting, polite English and how he had excused her son for taking advantage of my timidity and misunderstandings. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z I’m so relieved to be excused from the project that I gush, “No, this is great! You have no idea how much this helps, Mr. Vedder!” The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z I thought of excuses, involved myself totally in the farm. How I Live Now 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z The huge door of the Berg lurched into motion with a thump and a squeal, giving Mark an excuse not to respond. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z “Principal Rivera just made up an excuse to keep us out,” I said. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z The sporadic grumbles that can suddenly overrun a town like a summer forest fire had been given another excuse to ignite again. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z “This is not courtesy to accuse me thus. Your wound excuses your conduct, but there is no need for anger. Who are you? Why do you...” The Book of Three 1964-03-12T00:00:00Z Dad excuses himself to go fold the laundry. Muffled 2020-10-27T00:00:00Z At least the puppy would be an excuse for a visit. Messenger 2004-04-26T00:00:00Z I was about to give Detective Hayes the ambassador’s name and number when his phone rang and he excused himself. Confessions of a Murder Suspect 2012-09-24T00:00:00Z “Oh, excuse me!” she says, and dances out of my way. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z “If you will excuse me, Arthur, I have all these notes to write up.” The Haunting of Hill House 1959-10-01T00:00:00Z She makes an allowance for me, though there's really no excuse. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z “I was ten. The guests were their age. Don’t make excuses for them. I have to come to grips with this now and forever.” Confessions of a Murder Suspect 2012-09-24T00:00:00Z "Doña, excuse our dropping in on you," the man is saying with false politeness that seems as if it is being wastefully squeezed from a tube. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z I needed another excuse; and as I chopped I tried to think of one. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z “I—I am, Madam. I hope you will excuse any—er—liberty these naughty children may have taken. I assure you, there was no intention—” “You?” said the Queen in a still more terrible voice. The Magician's Nephew 1955-05-02T00:00:00Z I refuse to allow this sorry excuse for a human being have them. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z I tried to say something, to trump up an excuse; my mouth opened wide but no words came out. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z If Giebel had been the only person acting out of character in the quest for crazy-quilt expansion, it would have been more difficult to excuse or explain his actions. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z And then I realize that's my same excuse for hurting my foot, which is going to make walking in high heels a problem. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z He chomps on his sad excuse for a pastry. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z A people who came up with any excuse to throw a party and danced with their hips and shoulders in full swing. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z The excuse given by the government was slum clearance, a smoke screen for the government policy that regarded all urban areas as white areas where Africans were temporary residents. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z One president calmly excused himself, entered his private office, and shot himself through the head. The Devil in the White City 2003-02-11T00:00:00Z All his talk about saving money was just an excuse. Lupita Mañana 1981-03-21T00:00:00Z I took the heavy crystal glass and raised it to my lips, glad for an excuse to turn from her eyes. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z “Come now, if you don’t have a reason, you must at least have an explanation or certainly an excuse,” interrupted the gateman. The Phantom Tollbooth 1961-09-01T00:00:00Z She never spoke to them; she strutted upstairs with the excuse of homework and did not come downstairs to say good-bye. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z “It’s a poor excuse for what I’m doing, but it’s still true.” Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z Despite this fine invitation, not everyone remains; a fair few people quietly make their excuses and leave. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z “I work day and night and have a small drawing ready for you which I'll send bye and bye. I have no more money for a stamp, excuse the postcard.” Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z Then she closed the sideboard, said: 'Please excuse me, Mr Stevens,' and left the room. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z I watched the paper as it fluttered to the floor and kept my eyes there as she shouted, "That's no excuse. Next you'll be number five, then number fourteen. You must work harder." I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z After making excuses, yet again, about missing the Day of Sacrifice, Antain had noticed a distinct difference in his rapport with the Elders. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z “I confess, then. I’ve been found out. But I can think of worse excuses to visit you.” A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z I go to the market on the way home, even though there are only a few booths selling on a Sunday, and get some cabbages and more potatoes to give some excuse for my absence. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z She had it now, an excuse to break her vow. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z She excuses herself to go to the bathroom. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z I had never asked for any special consideration, but now I asked Dr. Bright, as humbly as I could, to be excused from the task. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z Petey thought that was a lame excuse and had decided long ago she would never look for him, let alone forgive him. Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z He used to arrive late to their accounting class with singular excuses—a cow’s lack of appetite, the difficult birth of two foals. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z I excuse myself to the bathroom to catch my breath. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z “He is the only man in the world,” she has said, “whose excuse for never going to a McDonald’s is because they don’t take reservations.” Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z No lab had less excuse for overlooking a phenomenon that indeed had been in front of the scientists’ eyes for months. Big Science 2015-07-07T00:00:00Z Jesse jumped up, pleased for an excuse to leave the track which he couldn’t make work to his dad’s satisfaction. Bridge to Terabithia 1997-10-21T00:00:00Z Her first fear was that lawyer son had not believed Mr. Randolph’s excuses for not coming to Virginia for Thanksgiving and had come to get him. The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z “Please excuse her. I promised to take her to the park after her nap.” The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z “Please excuse me, but didn’t you say your mother was dead?” inquired Oppah. A Girl Named Disaster 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z He has no excuse just because he is the head of such a discredited regime not to uphold moral standards.... Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z “Well, I’m sorry,” said Will, “but that sounds feeble to me. If you had any confidence in your secret, you wouldn’t need an excuse to see Lord Asriel.” The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z She had thought carefully about a plausible excuse and, after much thought, had come up with a topic that no one would have questions about. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z These minor obstacles leave room for excuses not to make exercise a priority. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z Part of me is cooking up any excuse to get out of this. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z “Dear madam, do not go. I beg you will not go. Mr. Collins must excuse me. He can have nothing to say to me that anybody need not hear. I am going away myself.” Pride and Prejudice 1813-01-28T00:00:00Z Every one of them believed that Smith had simply decided to duck War Admiral and was using injury as an excuse. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z “Will you excuse us for a moment?” she says, gesturing to the officer. Dear Martin 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z When it was over, his excuse for hanging out with her would be kaput. Dear Martin 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z “I’m not going to make excuses for her, Lily,” she said. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z Mama wanted to get me a medical excuse from Doctor Lavandier. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z She was casting about for something to say when Henry excused himself to use the bathroom. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z "Hardly decent, Mr. McSouthers. It was to Sam Westing's advantage to have a judge in his debt. Needless to say, I have excused myself from every case remotely connected with Westing affairs." The Westing Game 1979-01-01T00:00:00Z “You must excuse my gruff conduct,” the watchdog said, after they’d been driving for some time, “but you see it’s traditional for watchdogs to be ferocious...” The Phantom Tollbooth 1961-09-01T00:00:00Z My excuses were fairly pathetic, so I gave up on that. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z “No,” I told her, “I don't think so,” clutching at a straw, for this might serve as an excuse later, if I was over-pink about the eyes. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z My dad says, “Just an excuse to come see her and spend time in the city.” All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z As I went past, muttering a quiet 'excuse me, madam,' she turned and said: 'Oh, Stevens, perhaps you're the one to tell me. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z He’s not one who can be put off with a flimsy excuse. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z He’s trying to read my Noise, see what truth he can sift from it, which most men think is a good enough excuse for starting a fight, but I don’t mind with Ben. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z “My good child, what am I supposed to excuse myself about?” Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z The women’s delicate conditions didn’t excuse them from domestic duties. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z In South Carolina the vast, undisciplined army could find another excuse for its excesses beyond the slogan, “This is War, and War is Hell.” Across Five Aprils 1964-01-01T00:00:00Z There was always an excuse: Me not right for that part. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z Every time it was my turn to do the dishes, I always had an excuse—or else, if Lynn felt well, I let her do them for me. Kira-Kira 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z Speakers stressed the need to refrain from violence during the march, both out of respect to the memory of King and to avoid providing police with an excuse to massacre demonstrators. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z I tried not to let the frustration show as I excused them, too. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z So I had a good excuse for hunting pigs. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z Finally, as the sun approached the line of trees in the west, she couldn’t think of any more excuses. A Girl Named Disaster 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z “I hope you’ll excuse me,” he said, “but I’m late for an appointment.” The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z Francis excused himself and hurried away, and I heard the two of them murmuring in the hall as Bunny crunched morosely at his cereal. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z The latter could be forgiven their ignorance, but a weak player—which, by definition, included almost anyone he could beat—had no excuse. Endgame 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z “I was just thinking about him. Wanted an excuse to check on him, I guess.” Turtles All the Way Down 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z I was not even my parents’ son in 1928 but a devilishly smooth impostor, awaiting their slightest blunder as an excuse to move in—preferably without violence, but not necessarily—to assert my true identity. Nine Stories 1953-04-06T00:00:00Z By this point physicists could be excused for thinking that they had just about conquered the atom. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2003-05-06T00:00:00Z Joseph’s mother excused herself and spent most of the time standing outside the house, chain-smoking cigarettes in her black dress. The Marvels 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z Because he was a big man, Henry Dobbins was excused from tunnel duty. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z She carried a bucket with a washrag and some hot water, ready to make an excuse in case anyone asked what she was about. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z The Forest Service truck jolted up the white gravel drive, and Flossie excused herself to greet the new arrivals at the door and usher them in. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z It might sound like cowardly excuses when the words were formed. Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z I heard the good excuse of blowing his nose. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z Frank wanted to say something to excuse Percy iand placate the god, but he didn’t know what. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z “That gives you one whole night to work on your sorry excuse for a resume.” Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z “Bella has Gym next hour, and I don’t think she feels well enough. Actually, I was thinking I should take her home now. Do you think you could excuse her from class?” Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z “If you will excuse me a moment, I have to put my lute away.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z “Then if you aren’t sick what favorable construction can you put upon your behavior? Any excuse for it?” Go Set a Watchman: A Novel 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z “Oh, excuse me, Colonel. Allow me to present our George Pickett. Our loveliest general. General Pickett, Colonel Fremantle of the Coldstream Guards.” The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z All this will happen because people have neglected the basic lessons of Science, they have gone in for politics and religion and wars instead, and sought out passionate excuses for killing one another. Cat's Eye 1988-09-01T00:00:00Z I asked my boss for two days off and there was no way he was going to refuse me with an excuse like that. The Stranger 1989-03-13T00:00:00Z Sometimes there was an excuse: Harvest, Midsummer, or a marriage. Son 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z Miss Thomas was probably saying that as a excuse so she could blow her nose and cry, but she came back in a flash. Bud, Not Buddy 1999-09-02T00:00:00Z The children remembered Mr. Poe because he always had a cold and was constantly excusing himself from the table to have a fit of coughing in the next room. The Bad Beginning 1999-08-25T00:00:00Z Then he smiled and excused himself and went up to the guest room and came back with a small framed photograph. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z She’d kept me after school and told me she knew the truth about how my mother had left home and that wanting a mother was no excuse for dreaming one up. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z “She said it’s not open for debate. No more speeches, she said, no more excuses. Just come home.” Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z More people meant more greetings and more excuses. The Devil's Arithmetic 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z The Director excuses himself and walks to our table. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z “You will have to excuse me,” he boomed, showing us chairs. A Long Way from Chicago 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z Pluto was just another deadbeat godly dad making weak excuses. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z “It was early in the morning,” the sheriff explained, knowing that for Milagro there could not be a more feeble excuse. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z Judge Davies spoke emphatically: “You are excused, gentlemen, but you understand that this is a moot question. The hearing will proceed.” Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z And I had no time to think about it anyway, because no practice also meant I didn't have an excuse not to go straight to Becca's after school. Patina 2017-08-29T00:00:00Z “I don't want to hear it, Bryan. There is no excuse, and I'm very disappointed in you. Now, I want you to go back over there and tell that little boy that you're sorry.” Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z In response to that ruling, Harper said, “May we be excused?” Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z If Sass scolded me, Chandra would find an excuse for me. Homeless Bird 2000-03-01T00:00:00Z He’d read about one such quarantine in a magazine, the first excuse that came into his head. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z She looked away so her mom wouldn’t see the lie on her face, then excused herself and went into her room, closing the door behind her. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z "Please, excuse me?" she asked the people shouldering past her. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z Mr. Klein, the social studies teacher, tells me to take off the hat, but I give him some lame excuse and he lets me keep it on. The Skin I'm In 1998-10-16T00:00:00Z “Now I fear I must take my leave, before I forget the duties of a host. Lord Tycho, pray excuse me.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z I excused myself and walked over to the kite stand, my shoes squishing on the wet grass. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z Bull excused himself from Cecil’s embrace long enough to send the captain directly over an indistinguishable pile of flight jackets with a backhand across the mouth. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z “I thought not. Now, I have books to be shelved. You must excuse me.” The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z She was late for work every morning and excused herself by saying that she had overslept, and she complained of mysterious pains, although her appetite was excellent. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story 1945-08-17T00:00:00Z He’d been sluggish, slow to react when they’d ambushed the wagon, but that was all, and he could make up some excuse to account for it. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z Planning to escape meant waiting for a work detail that would get Shin and Park out of the factory and give them an excuse to be near the fence. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z Can I be excused, since it’s your night for dishes? Harbor Me 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z He stood irresolute, making some excuse about his mother who expected him; he even muttered something about an engagement She struck a match and lit the lamp on the table; it was growing dusk. The Awakening 1899-01-01T00:00:00Z “That’s better. Since it’s your first day here, I shall excuse your behavior and trust that it will have improved tomorrow.” Ella Enchanted 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z She even said she would excuse my homework assignment the next day. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z "Well, it serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District Twelve is no excuse to ignore you." The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z Then he starts finding any excuse to hug me. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z He ended the tour at his office, where he offered Anna a seat and excused himself. The Devil in the White City 2003-02-11T00:00:00Z Everyone knows it is madness, and every nation has an excuse. Cosmos 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z Old Sutic would have been moved officially into the category of the elderly this inspection year, excusing him from the demanding physical tasks he so loathed. The Ugly One 2013-06-11T00:00:00Z When the time came to meet Isabelle and Etienne at the theater, he didn’t want to break his promise, so he made excuses to the old man, left the station, and ran to the cinema. The Invention of Hugo Cabret 2007-01-30T00:00:00Z I knew I hadn’t got a spare one in my pocket, but a broken nib was never accepted as an excuse for not finishing Prep. Boy: Tales of a Childhood 1984-01-01T00:00:00Z But just so I can get your letters, send them to your house, and I’ll come up with an excuse to pass by and see your parents. The Red Umbrella 2010-04-25T00:00:00Z Those buggy eyes and the way his lips twitched and that silly excuse he had for a mustache. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z I said, “If you’re grown and own a toy store, that gives you an excuse to have a bunch of toys around you. Without people criticizing you.” The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z You'll excuse me, sir, but like I said before, we don't stand on ceremony here when it comes to expressing opinions. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z He says he’ll call my Spanish teacher with some kind of excuse. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z And now, in your time, the law has become an excuse for stopping and frisking you, which is to say, for furthering the assault on your body. Between the World and Me 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z “I am very sorry. There is no excuse. He is very sick,” she said. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z “You will excuse me, Monsieur,” she said, “but may I ask your name? Your face is somehow familiar to me.” Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z “We’ll find Henry and drive him over here. He can make some excuse to get Julian out of the office. Then one of us can slip up the back stairs with the key.” The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z In all these cases the children were too young to give any properly intelligible account of themselves, but the consensus of their excuses is that they had been with a “bloofer lady.” Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z They excused themselves, and he smiled back politely. A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z “Working on the recipe is the perfect excuse to get our moms together,” I say. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z I think maybe Mrs. Malloy forgot that Suesetta and I are in the room, because as soon as she looks over at us, she says, “Oh, girls, you can excuse yourselves now.” Betty Before X 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z One did his bit with Montgomery in Africa and the other is over in Burma or some other bloody place, excuse the language. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z “How about if I excuse you from homework for learning how to play?” Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z “Can’t that little girl do something on her own? You two just want an excuse to go hiking.” On the Far Side of the Mountain 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z Any Muslim would have known that my “chickens coming home to roost” statement had been only an excuse to put into action the plan for getting me out. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z I didn't wait for her to put it back on because to me, this was more than just a fight, it was my excuse to bail. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z “I’ll make an excuse and get out of here quick. Meet you at the tree in twenty minutes?” Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z Bowing, he said, "But now you must excuse me. I have urgent business with queen and council." A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z Moss excused himself, but the guy examined him, looking him up and down. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z After a moment Princess Arianne excused herself and went after her. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z “If you’d rather learn the hard way — when someone’s putting it on you so they can control you completely — fine by me. You’re excused. Off you go.” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z When the cigarette was gone and its light crushed in the ashtray Bones was excused. Bless Me, Ultima 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z After dinner, I use Nora as an excuse again so I can go down to the Hideout for a little while. A Soft Place to Land 2021-09-14T00:00:00Z “The rest probably wanted an excuse to get out of school.” The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z Later that day, Miss Cowper—and I didn’t ask for this, it just seemed to happen—Miss Cowper wrote me an excuse from PE so that I could help her refresh her County Literacy Unit. Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z “I wish I could excuse you from all of it,” he says as I’m checking it over. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z I shouldered my axe and started toward the cabin, trying to think up some excuse to tell Mama to keep her from knowing I was played clear out. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z “What terrible handwriting you have. Is that your sorry excuse for a signature?” The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z “Scared is the excuse everyone has always used!” Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z When he saw Faraday, he excused himself from his current conversation and made his way toward them. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z The Danes sat sulking, watching the strangers eat, wishing some one of them would give them an excuse to use their daggers. Grendel 1971-01-01T00:00:00Z I ran home, made an excuse to Shady about not being hungry, and was in bed before you could say boo. Moon Over Manifest 2010-10-12T00:00:00Z Between my muffs, I make excuses: I’m invisible, the old Amelia. Muffled 2020-10-27T00:00:00Z And as her heart pounded, her mind wondered what excuse he would use that night to pounce on her. A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z Then I’d find some excuse to go downstairs so I could turn it back on. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z I sought refuge in a Negro drugstore and drank milk shakes as an excuse to stay there. Black Like Me 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z I’m so happy to be out of the small room and excused from Mr. Skerritt. Muffled 2020-10-27T00:00:00Z She said over and over, “Your grandfather’s passing is no excuse for this behavior.” Clayton Byrd Goes Underground 2017-05-09T00:00:00Z He would have had an excuse to turn around and start walking away from Marcus. When You Reach Me 2009-07-14T00:00:00Z “Oh, excuse me for hurting the feelings of a twenty-year-old minivan.” The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z I was clearly slowing him down, though he graciously made excuses for me. Mountains Beyond Mountains 2013-04-13T00:00:00Z Hour after hour she helps Frau Elena with the smaller children or walks to the market or finds some other excuse to be helpful, to be busy, to be out. All the Light We Cannot See 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z “It’s none of your business, princess, but let’s say it was. Let’s say you were my mother and you were upset about me hangin’ out with this lame excuse for a boyfriend. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z If Dad guessed I was trying to make him feel guilty, that'd give him the excuse to not let me. Black Swan Green 2006-04-10T00:00:00Z Was this survey, for the guys who found my name on their list, going to be the excuse they needed to ask me out? Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z Ophie could have been excused for missing it at first, but maybe she hadn’t wanted to see it. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z And, oh yeah, just before noon my buddy Dwight showed up looking like he’d used the concert as an excuse to spark up a little earlier than usual. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z Humbleness is in order; there is no excuse for scientific conceit here. Silent Spring 1962-09-27T00:00:00Z Until, at last, he had grown older and found excuses for spending all of his holidays away from the house. I'm the King of the Castle 1970-09-03T00:00:00Z “Objection, Your Honor. We object to this witness and insist the jury be excused until we can see if this witness is qualified to testify as to facts pertinent to this case.” Mississippi Trial, 1955 2002-05-27T00:00:00Z “Things was just that way. Daddy made it clear that there was no excuses; we would just have to work harder, that’s all,” Junior said. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z I trot out excuses: homework, strict parents, tuba practice, late-night dentist appointment, have to feed the warthogs. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z He excused himself from the table, mumbling something about having work to do for the Council, but really he only planned on sneaking into the kitchen to help the kitchen staff. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z He hides behind the excuse that he’s only fooling around, that everyone else needs to learn how to take a joke. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z His hands are always touching me, stroking my hair, my neck, my cheek, my shoulder; when they creep lower and his body moves closer, I duck away, find an excuse to leave. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z This trip gives him the perfect excuse to let go of the burden of his family for a little while, at least. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z Some of those absent had good excuses, such as having to attend to an increasing number of patients ill with the fever. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 2003-06-23T00:00:00Z I smiled a lot, and then, when I couldn’t form any more words, she politely excused herself to get some punch. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z But Harry wasn’t complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was fine by him, so he began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as he could. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z “Don’t insult me with your excuses!” roared the commander. Artemis Fowl 2001-04-26T00:00:00Z "I got confused. Would you excuse me? I forgot to ask Ollie something." Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z I would have pleaded illness, but I knew that Falconer would brook no excuse short of my writing hand being lopped off—and even then he would probably insist that I transcribe left-handed. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z “Whatever. I’m so sick of that bet. You just gave me an excuse to be done with it.” Goodbye Stranger 2015-08-04T00:00:00Z “Please excuse my daughter,” Mrs. Richardson said to the parents. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z Educated children never offered excuses—certainly not childhood itself. Between the World and Me 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z Lori and Pauline are excused from vacuuming on account of their backs, which means you dread being assigned to a team with them. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z I swallowed what was in my mouth and excused myself. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z When she realized she was going to have to go downtown to the courthouse, Anthony excused herself and went upstairs to change clothes, leaving the flummoxed marshal waiting in the parlor. Votes for Women! 2018-02-13T00:00:00Z You will excuse me, but there are one or two other small things I might mention.' The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z “Please excuse me, Signora Hartlieb,” said Ida, “but this boy has only come to us recently and he is having a lot of trouble with the other children. So they teased you again, Ernesto?” The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z When he was done checking on the cargo, he was glad he had another excuse to put off seeing her. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z It's Sunday, not a day I normally work, so I don't have any excuse to leave the house. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z This would give them an excuse to poke around during lunch. Chasing Vermeer 2004-06-01T00:00:00Z The general public’s collective denial is fairly easy to forgive—if not excuse—for all the reasons discussed in chapter 5. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z That lawyer tried to get me to give him a name, anybody who would come in and make an excuse for what happened. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z “And are they bothering to give an excuse for torturing Harry’s whereabouts out of people?” asked Hermione, an edge to her voice. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z Shadow excused himself to use the bathroom—a cramped, closet-like room near the front door, hung with several brown-spotted framed photographs. American Gods 2011-06-21T00:00:00Z Angela said,You’re only looking for an excuse to run to the speakeasy, and he said, As God is my witness, the drink is the last thing on my mind. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z “Just an excuse to show people with no clothes.” Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry’s least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z Any excuse not to look at him directly. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z And on top of that, she’s pregnant again, which pleases her because it gives her an excuse to get fat and grow another chin. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z “You’ll have to forgive us men. You see, it’s not an easy thing to pick a flower to fit a girl, if you’ll excuse my expression.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z We were in the midst of this discussion when the prosecutor, Mr. Bosch, entered the room and then asked Bob to excuse himself. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Freak finally says, "Please excuse us, we have the wrong address. We were, uhm, trying to locate a Miss Loretta Lee." Freak The Mighty 1993-10-01T00:00:00Z “Do you really need to go to Seattle this Saturday, or was that just an excuse to get out of saying no to all your admirers?” Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z Words press against my mouth—“sorry” and “All my fault. Earmuff-wearing is no excuse for not being nice.” Muffled 2020-10-27T00:00:00Z She got really nervous and turned pale and literally broke into a sweat within a minute, and then she came up with some lame excuse about really having to go to the bathroom. Wonder 2012-02-14T00:00:00Z "My lady begs that you excuse her absence. Her babes are still too young for such a journey, and she was loath to leave them." A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z Ned could no longer use his concern for their safety to excuse his delay. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z “That appears to be the end. And I’m afraid, if you’ll excuse me, I must be getting along. See you later at the Grand Chain, I hope. I’ll look out for you.” Mary Poppins 1962-10-27T00:00:00Z But now I knew that, worst of all, it would give the governor yet another excuse to keep us out of school. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z “It’s just an excuse to get away from me,” said Rosa. The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z “Dad would say I’m ‘making excuses,’ but I really don’t think Mr. Atsbani likes me very much. Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z I began to tune it so I would have an excuse to hold it a while longer. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z Unable to bear the confusion of feelings any longer, C.P. offered some excuse and hurried from the restaurant. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z Besides, it was an excuse for lingering with the mirror. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z It does not matter, the Court declared, why the police are stopping motorists under the Fourth Amendment, so long as some kind of traffic violation gives them an excuse. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z “Go ahead. I’m tense; excuse me if I talk too much.” Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968-01-02T00:00:00Z His father and mother exchanged a look, and she made an excuse about needing to check an email and left them alone. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z This would be the perfect excuse for him to fire me. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z As soon as I got an opening I said, “May I be excused? I’d like to go find my bedroom.” Tangerine 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z Her voice got raspy and she used her little, growing cough as an excuse not to finish her thought. What the Night Sings 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z You may excuse me on the grounds of being a kind brother, which I hope I am. Ella Enchanted 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z He was also considering the possibility of settling in Switzerland permanently, so he looked for any excuse to visit that beautiful country. Endgame 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z “Whenever the family gets together, you always find some excuse not to go.” The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z He found an excuse to step between us, and I turned away. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z I couldn’t tell her I had only volunteered to get signatures because I wanted an excuse to hang around her. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z The three of them would sit for tea and then Jalil would excuse himself. A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z And then one day she started making excuses. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z ‘Nay, you are excused for my part, lord,’ he said. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z Is politics merely a pretext for shirking one’s responsibilities, an excuse for not being able to provide in the way one wanted? Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Lefty says, “Pardon me, excuse me,” feeling thoroughly American as he pulls on his blue wool trousers and jacket. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z The last time we fought about it, I used every excuse I could think of. Mississippi Trial, 1955 2002-05-27T00:00:00Z What sorts of excuses people had used on that first morning to get the doctor and the locksmith out of the house Gregor was completely unable to ascertain. The Metamorphosis 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z Because I’ve been looking for an excuse to talk to you for two days. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z For a moment my mind raced, searching for excuses, explanations. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z “The only day you are excused from that schedule is when you go to Aokpe with your aunt,” Papa said. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z Or better yet, maybe he was just a selfish poseur, using his daddy as an excuse to be wack. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z “I’m going to order a dress online,” I said, making an excuse to cut our afternoon shopping spree short. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z Some folks will find a excuse to strap you even if you’re working as hard as you ever did in your life. Bud, Not Buddy 1999-09-02T00:00:00Z I had a faint hope that the Captain, not being an islander, would take the heat as an excuse to slow down a bit. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z If only we’d given the Martians time to arrange their death robes, lie down, look fit, and think up some other excuse for dying. The Martian Chronicles 1950-01-01T00:00:00Z She memorized their poetry and excused their bad behavior. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z When we were children, whenever we rejected symbols of Haitian culture, Ma used to excuse us with great embarrassment and say, “You know, they are American.” Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z People just cry and moan with the grief and they think they’re excused from the tip. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z And you must be responsible for the bodies of the powerful—the policeman who cracks you with a nightstick will quickly find his excuse in your furtive movements. Between the World and Me 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z I put on powder and deodorant galore, but I still make excuses to keep my distance from good-looking boys. You Bring the Distant Near 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z She saw no reason to explain her act or excuse it. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z I can stand across from the everyday Anne and, without being biased or making excuses, watch what she’s doing, both the good and the bad. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z When I can't manage any more, I excuse myself saying I have a few things to do before going back to work. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z "It seemed like an easy way to get that issue settled. And I really do have my cell phone, so there's no excuse for you not keeping in touch with me." Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z I tightened my grip on the dust rag, my ready excuse for why I was here. Amal Unbound 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z But just to be sure, he feigned an excuse for the school police officer, who used to wrestle years ago and, as a result, liked Luke. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z “Hello, excuse me, can we get another round of these please?” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z However one viewed it, his situation was curious, his excuses questionable. In Cold Blood 1966-01-01T00:00:00Z I thought about telephoning her and calling it off, making some excuse. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z “Ask those we know and get it over. After that no one will have an excuse to call.” Nectar in a Sieve 1954-01-01T00:00:00Z I write her a note, as an excuse to touch her shoulder, to pass her some words. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z I make excuses so I won’t have to go out and play. Cat's Eye 1988-09-01T00:00:00Z As for how he got that way, “English not so good, excuse please?” Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z It was an excuse, an evasion, a way not to examine the fact that I’d never been meaner or more vulnerable. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z By then, I was a lapsed Catholic; my sisters and I had been pretty well Americanized since our arrival in this country a decade before, so really, I didn't have a good excuse. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z This would ensure that all the students would be present and that there would be no excuse that the SRC did not have the support of the entire student body. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z We were required to write a research paper for Psychology and I chose it as my subject, then used the paper as an excuse to interrogate every neuroscientist and cognitive specialist at the university. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z I did not want to give the Red Successors another excuse to attack me. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z There were no more jokes or excuses to be made for the silly, grumpy old woman we’d known from birth. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z Plenty of time for me to come up with a good excuse. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z “Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, I need to tell my wife the news.” Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z But there aren’t many kids in seventh-period study because most of them cut it and the others get excused early because our school is overcrowded. The Pigman 1968-10-12T00:00:00Z “I was just going to Phoebe’s,” I said, glad for an excuse. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z Instead of asking Ms. Parker to excuse me from music, he called a meeting after school with Mr. Skerritt. Muffled 2020-10-27T00:00:00Z "Nothing, excuse me," he said, rolling to the door and beckoning. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z And then she said to the man at the gate, “You’ll have to excuse us now.” Tuck Everlasting 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z “If you will excuse me, I need to lie down.” Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z Robert left earlier, with the excuse that he had to chop wood or see how the little apple trees behind the house were doing. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z Most times I’d heard humming before it was just a excuse for not being able to sing or something people’d do if they didn’t know the words to a song. Bud, Not Buddy 1999-09-02T00:00:00Z You don’t have to make excuses to me. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z ALBUS/RON: Does a man need an excuse to see his wife? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 2016-07-31T00:00:00Z He began to wonder why he had been so eager to come, when he had been given every excuse, even his lord’s command, to stay behind. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z Maybe all the things I’m feeling for Natasha are just excuses to make it derail. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z I felt sorry for him, and I felt bad that he had been punished while I had been excused. Bless Me, Ultima 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z “There’s a slight nip in the air, dear. Andrew, would you kindly excuse us? I need to talk to Miss Muldauer in private.” Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics 2016-01-05T00:00:00Z It gave me an excuse to glare at him. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z Also, I admit, I wanted an excuse to stay home. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z “You gave me a good excuse to tuck away a couple extra,” Dad said, patting his stomach. The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z When relatives and Spanish-speaking friends of my parents came to the house, my brother and sisters seemed reticent to use Spanish, but at least they managed to say a few necessary words before being excused. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z Dad says, “You can’t use losing your sister as an excuse to act out.” All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z “Everything,” I said, glad to have an excuse to complain. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z “I pray you, be seated and sup how you please. You will, I trust, excuse me that I do not join you; but I have dined already, and I do not sup.” Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z “I was just looking for an excuse to talk to you,” he admitted. Black Like Me 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z When Adam asked me why I was so busy, I gave purposely vague excuses about learning tough new pieces. If I Stay 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z I thought she was going to lecture me about my past not being an excuse for poor behavior. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z “What a nice kid. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must address the room.” The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z This information wouldn’t excuse the crimes, but it might chip away at the stereotype by making a few of the incidents more understandable. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z Joey was right, and I realized then that I was still just making excuses to avoid dealing with my out-of-control Megan thing. Winger 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z When he met with his CIA contacts, he would excuse himself briefly to lower his pants and retrieve the notes. Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z I hoped it wasn’t just an excuse for being quiet and afraid. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z She would have to excuse herself upon entering and ask for the telephone. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z "You must excuse him, doña," the woman apologizes. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z “And what will the city do with this marvelous property once they shut down this dilapidated excuse for a school?” The Smartest Kid in the Universe 2020-12-01T00:00:00Z They would always find excuses to slip away, afraid to reveal the narrowness of their knowledge. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z Sol repeatedly begged me to attend the meetings of the club, but I always found an easy excuse for refusing. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z Ant mounds on lawns or playgrounds may create a situation where children are likely to be stung, but this is hardly an excuse for drenching millions of acres with poisons. Silent Spring 1962-09-27T00:00:00Z It began to sound like an excuse for ignorance. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z How she’s always making excuses for why something is the way it is, and her reasons are never about the fact that I am black and that sometimes it really is about race. Piecing Me Together 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z Kaprice got a call from a teacher the next morning, saying one of her children wanted to be excused from class. The 57 Bus 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z She excused herself to go boil the dishwater. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z I kept silent, sensing that Jarvas was provoking me into saying something that might give him an excuse to stab me. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z They found every excuse to stay inside it. Maniac Magee 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z It hid your body-heat signature, involved changing clothes, and was a perfect excuse for not wearing your interface ring. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z He was invited perfunctorily every Sunday, but he seemed to know that he oughtn’t to come and always managed an excuse. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z And the final excuse flies out the window. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z We live in very troubling times, but that is still no excuse not to be a lady. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z So that was supposed to excuse him, macho that he was! In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z “Take your time. We have eight hours...excuse me, seven and a half hours, then time’s up for everybody.” Artemis Fowl 2001-04-26T00:00:00Z After five more minutes, when Milton still had not materialized, Desdemona excused herself and climbed the stairs. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z He said it was because he was too old, but everybody knew that was just an excuse: he’d quit because he was against the war and didn’t want to fight in it. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z The hasty moments together, the locked doors and base contrivances, the guilty manoeuvres which the husband’s presence forced on his lovers—these had the effect of soiling what had no excuse unless it was beautiful. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z Fortunately, when we walked upstairs, I found that I had an excuse to put off the crucial model-building step for at least several more hours. Double Helix 1968-02-27T00:00:00Z The little mice would not accept this excuse. Ralph S. Mouse 1992-08-01T00:00:00Z It’s a good-enough excuse for me to go gather data on all of them. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z Like all villagers, we were required to ask the steward’s permission to be excused from work if ill, to grind our wheat, or bake it, to buy or to baptize our children. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z But it was just an excuse for us to get away from each other. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z “Layla, please don’t give them an excuse to hurt you. This camp is operating outside the law. The attorney general can’t even control it.” Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z I excused myself from Mr Cardinal and moved towards the doors. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z I know she wasn’t your girlfriend, that you hardly ever talked to her and barely even knew her, but is that your best excuse for what happened next? Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z Bobbette excused herself and ran home, bursting through the screen door into the kitchen, yelling for Lawrence, “Part of your mother, it’s alive!” The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z But no excuse eased the sadness that welled in their hearts. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson 1984-10-12T00:00:00Z I had no energy left to verbalize some First Lady-like excuse or even wave to my friends. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z I couldn’t stay with her too long in case her desperation rubbed off so I made an awkward excuse and climbed back up into the loft. How I Live Now 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z ‘But, if you’ll excuse me, my immediate business is with Perseus Jackson. I tracked him all the way across Tartarus. Now, here in his father’s ruins, I mean to crush him once and for all.’ Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z The school sent notes home, and I answered them by writing excuses on the unwanted typewriter and signing my mother’s name to them. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z To start excusing myself now, for this or that, would be a blunder. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z I expect to weave through the crowd, dodging elbows and muttering “excuse me” the way I always do, but there is no need. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z “A likely excuse! You’ve been at the machine oil again. Don’t lie to me! I checked the level yesterday.” The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z What I loved most about calling myself a reporter was that it gave me an excuse to show up anyplace. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z Someone in the Senate who tried to excuse him declared that there were many men who knew how not to err better than they knew how to correct their mistakes. The Prince 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z My previous doubts and fears evaporated, as now I knew that I could excuse anything. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z The teacher says time’s up for the assignment, so I pass the paper back to Jasmine with a shrug, happy for the excuse not to tell her a thing. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z “Would you excuse me, Brady?” she said before rushing off. Red Kayak 2004-09-23T00:00:00Z “Now what’s your big fancy excuse for being a complete barbarian to me?” Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z As the adults drank coffee, Mr. Rubin took a phone call and excused himself from the table. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z “Well, it’s settled then. You girls will be excused from classes tomorrow for your fitting, and next week you will attend dinner at the mayor’s residence.” Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z Ferula excused herself for a moment and ran to the bathroom, one of those immense bathrooms where the toilet was placed in the middle of the room surrounded by a vast desert of white tiles. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z As Cole points out, “such profiles do not so much focus an investigation as provide law enforcement officials a ready-made excuse for stopping whomever they please.” The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z Rising from the table, he patted his beard with his napkin, bowed to my mother, and said, “Another fine dinner as usual, Margaret. Kindly excuse me.” The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z "That's very kind, Mrs. Taylor”—Ewan's excuse was seamless—"but my mother's birthday dinners run to military precision. If she suspects me of dawdling, it'll be the execution squad at dawn.” Black Swan Green 2006-04-10T00:00:00Z R.C. hadn’t changed, and I would have turned around and gone back home if I could have thought up a good excuse. Mississippi Trial, 1955 2002-05-27T00:00:00Z Her rejection enraged him, and he would use any excuse to punish us. Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z “Gives them a good excuse to eat too much, drink too much, and make proper fools of themselves whilst dancing.” Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z “But before we continue, the real world has certain calls on me that I can no longer ignore. If you will please excuse me for a moment?” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z Our food comes and my grilled cheese is greasy and cheesy and crispy on the outside and I eat it in about three minutes and excuse myself to go to the ladies’ room. Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z A couple of times, he steps on my foot, but he does not excuse himself. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z It’s his frickin’ house, and he asks me if he can be excused. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z She had never excused undone homework for any reason before. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z One thing alone mattered: to keep still, to keep still and not give them an excuse to hit you! 1984 1949-06-08T00:00:00Z My mother excused herself from our planning to take the phone call upstairs. Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z As I slogged down the hall, my mind checked through a list of excuses for why I couldn’t hang out. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z When she met the Prince, she was wearing one hat, when he asked her for a stroll, she excused herself, shortly to return wearing another, equally flattering. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z I kept silent, striving to offer no excuse for worsening of relations. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z “Well, excuse me for butting in, but don’t all gods let people suffer?” Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z That ain’t to make no excuses ’bout what happened, it’s just telling the truth. Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z He seems glad to excuse us for music. Muffled 2020-10-27T00:00:00Z “Oh, mercy, mercy. The boy is always looking for some excuse to say I can’t take care of myself so he can drag me over to his big house in Virginia.” The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z He shuffles slowly, and I wonder if he is using our arm-lock as an excuse for me to help support him. The Last Cuentista 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z I hope desperately that this wasn’t arranged to humiliate me further, to give Cardan another excuse—or worse, opportunity—to punish me more. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z They sat, unmoving, while she sung, and then, without excusing himself, 13-04 rose and rushed above-stairs, and sought her out along the corridors. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z She pleaded the excuse of her baby, whom she must rush home to feed. Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z This is what you need to remember: Use be instead of was or were after someone suggests, insists, asks, requests, requires, or demands that something be done: I demand that I be excused. Woe Is I 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z “If you win excuse me, unde, what I was going to say was this. We hoped to settle the matter without a personal combat at all.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z The only excuse I can offer is that like so many of my black brothers today, I was just deaf, dumb, and blind. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z Now I have the perfect excuse for not going with Tats. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z She said it was to see that we behaved, but I believe she was glad of an excuse to leave the sadness of the house. Homeless Bird 2000-03-01T00:00:00Z “Please excuse me for pointing this out,” he said. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z “Eric, I don’t need excuses—I just need this done. No, I’ve been waiting for this over a week; I don’t want it to wait another minute. Look, I’ll be right down.” Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z I almost thanked Theo for giving me an excuse to be paranoid about the food. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z “You didn’t ask to be excused,” Safer’s mom says. Liar & Spy 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z Thyon, thirteen years old and sharp as the point of a viper’s fang, had looked around him at the cryptic rituals and philosophies and seen it all as obfuscation cooked up to excuse that failure. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z They’re also computer geniuses who like to brag that they could “hack into this pathetic excuse for a secure network” anytime to change their grades. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z “Well, you tell your mother we’re expecting her at the garden club next month. No excuses this time.” How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z “So when Ms. Washington gave us the assignment, that was it. I was done making excuses. That’s why I did my presentation on Glenn Burke.” A High Five for Glenn Burke 2020-02-25T00:00:00Z “Yes, sir. If it doesn’t include the time necessary to excuse the atheists from the room and admit the enlisted men.” Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z Trapis looked around at the quiet room, as if looking for an excuse. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z I smile awkwardly and give them the same excuse I give Amanda, “I have a lot of homework.” A Step from Heaven 2001-04-30T00:00:00Z Father and I excused ourselves then and left. Dragonwings 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z He excused himself to go to the restroom. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z Mouse mistook my toe for a mole crab, and I used the excuse to duck away and off down the beach to sit by myself for a while. Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z There really was no excuse for my behavior. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z On some flimsy excuse, Mother ordered Bailey out of the house. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z Sonia always makes an excuse and goes out to run an errand. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z In other words, police officers use minor traffic violations as an excuse—a pretext—to search for drugs, even though there is not a shred of evidence suggesting the motorist is violating drug laws. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z They excused themselves and went outside to play. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z God—am I making excuses to protect this boy now? Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z I asked to be excused so’s I could run after Cooter and kill me some slavers! Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z “Do you need an excuse? I’ll shout for help and go under. You couldn’t just stand there and watch me drown, could you?” The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z Whenever they offered him a ride home after work, he made excuses and politely declined. Into the Wild 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z That night she excused herself early after telling her husband that she was going to take a tranquilizer to be sure of falling asleep. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z Dad always has an excuse: traffic, last-minute customers at the pharmacy who’ve run out of their prescriptions and can’t wait until morning, a salesman stopping by with drug samples. Rules 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z After a late night I felt too dull to think up the excuse that would take me back to my room for the glove, the handkerchief, the umbrella, the notebook I forgot. The Bell Jar 1963-01-14T00:00:00Z I was going to give her an excuse, an apology I worked on all afternoon at the machines, but I tell her the truth instead. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z Map reading gives us a good excuse to rest. On the Far Side of the Mountain 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z I was Dad’s last defender, she continued, the only one who pretended to believe all his excuses and tales, and to have faith in his plans for the future. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z I can’t excuse it, regrettably, but I insist on trying to explain it. Franny and Zooey 1961-09-14T00:00:00Z At the back of his mind formed the uncertain outlines of an excuse. Lord of the Flies 1954-09-17T00:00:00Z “If I killed this miserable hog, then I wouldn’t have an excuse, que no?” The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z That red candle was supposed to seal me forever with my husband and his family, no excuses afterward. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z When peach juice began to flow from his nose and when Matthew had gagged twice, Lillian quietly excused herself from the table. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z It seemed an innocuous excuse; and yet, it spoken, the man took a greater interest in us, stepping close and glaring into our faces. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves 2009-10-13T00:00:00Z I wanted to tell people, “My depression is acting up today” as an excuse for not seeing them, but I never managed to pull it off. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z “The police searched him and found a handful of OxyContin in his pocket. Since he was on school grounds, that was all the excuse DeShields needed to give him the boot.” We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z In a normal year, I’d be begging and pleading to go in late with a note of excuse. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z As soon as the Mark had gone underground and Blackavar had been taken away by his escort, Bigwig excused himself to Chervil and Avens and went to his own burrow. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z The kid looks embarrassed, and says, ‘Yes, I do.’Then he looks over at me and asks to be excused. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z Just before Seabiscuit worked out, Howard excused himself from his box for a moment. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z Gollum in his own way, and with much more excuse as his acquaintance was much briefer, may have made a similar mistake, confusing kindness and blindness. The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z They’ll think I’m trying to make an excuse for bad work. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z It used not to be an excuse you needed to resort to.' The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z She said, “Suds, will you excuse yourself from Joey long enough to empty your wastebasket, please.” Fourth Grade Rats 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z The idea of making up an excuse for why I'm home early and sitting with them in hidden mourning is unbearable. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z “If Edie has been bullying you, this doesn’t excuse it, but it might help explain it. It might help you see that it’s got nothing to do with you.” How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z “It’s hard to tell, this time of year,” he said, but his excuse was lame. The Red Pony 1937-01-01T00:00:00Z “I’ve got my own tasks for Amelia; your laziness is not an excuse for taxing my girl.” Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z Ellsberg had tried to think of an excuse to duck out. Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z “And his friends—” “Don’t you dare make excuses for him, Henry Denton.” We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z She issued orders in a confidential whisper, “I want no noise, please. Your Chief must have complete rest. Don’t let him exert himself when he wakes. Now you’ll have to excuse me.” Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z Every night, I listened when they showed me their work, but I never listened to any excuses. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z I could say that living with my ma wasn’t easy and it drove him to drink, but there are no excuses. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z At first, I stayed silent to protect Rosie—and there was no question she needed protecting, in those days elephant executions were not uncommon—but there was never any excuse for keeping it from Marlena. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z “No. Your people... they have an excuse. The ones who hunted me...” Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z She always finds an excuse to invite me in. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z “My grandmother died this summer. She was my mom’s mother, and that’s how come we forgot. I know it’s not an excuse.” A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z It’s my turn to leave with a lame excuse. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z I would use the excuse that the monument was being built, and the noise and dust and activity bothered me. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Parsons did, indeed, invariably revert to shorts when a community hike or any other physical activity gave him an excuse for doing so. 1984 1949-06-08T00:00:00Z I didn’t want to hear any more excuses. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z The excuse I gave my parents was that I wanted to visit the library. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z His excuse to us, when we complained we were being neglected, was that he had to get acquainted with his new daughter. Cheaper by the Dozen 1948-01-01T00:00:00Z Until she could use school as an excuse and slip away. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z She dreamed up a hundred and one excuses for keeping us inside the house even when it wasn’t raining. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z The tape had been the perfect excuse for all this fun, and now it had turned up, we’d have to stop. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z I’m thinking how maybe Judd Travers has hold of the idea that I got his dog hid up there and he’s looking for an excuse to snoop around. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z I have no training,” he argued, trying to excuse himself. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z People sometimes suspected, when they learned how few orphans lived at Miss Mallory’s Home for Lost Girls, that it must be a sorry excuse for an orphanage. A Tangle of Knots 2013-02-05T00:00:00Z Then he excused himself politely, stepped behind the bar, and passed out. Bomb 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z And with the cruelty of the world as an excuse for breaking his promise to Ryan, he used his sharp claws to climb the boot lining. Ralph S. Mouse 1992-08-01T00:00:00Z For now, there was nothing but the flat gray of the sky and the dead rock of this miserable excuse for an island. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z “You will excuse me, Madame, but how much can we rely upon the truthfulness of your replies?” Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z I go in my room, happy to have an excuse to put a door between us. Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z And although such a task was normally left to the servants, Volta did not complain, because it gave him a perfect excuse to eavesdrop on them. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z You just gave me an excuse to go after them fools. On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z Never gives one excuse for what he did. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z “Ah, you’ll have to excuse me. My Russian is not very good. You are Russian, yes?” The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z He says no and gives me some lame excuse, like Faith works in another office on the other days of the week. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z She did not wish to offend, but a well-mannered man might be excused for showing disgust at the way the people around them were acting. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z Finally, Howard’s proposal gave Riddle a built-in excuse. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z Whatever their excuse might be, I had none, I knew: I had seen the dragon. Grendel 1971-01-01T00:00:00Z “Excellent! Please excuse his monosyllabic responses. It only means he cares.” Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z Rowan didn’t even excuse himself as he left them. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z Then, realizing I was in the middle of a conversation, he looked at Love and said awkwardly, “Oh, excuse me for interrupting.” The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z Tfa seems concerned that I spend so much time with Pilar, and finds excuses to pull me away. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z But I never made those excuses, and I still managed to get it all in. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z “It just gives her an excuse to make up a story.” Raymie Nightingale 2016-04-12T00:00:00Z “You’ll excuse me, sir, but the elderly American lady is in what I might describe as a state, sir. She’s saying she knows all about the murderer. She’s in a very excitable condition, sir.” Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z Going to school with the living did not excuse Bod from his lessons with the dead. The Graveyard Book 2008-09-30T00:00:00Z That seemed like a pretty weak excuse to get his license. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z It will not be accepted as an excuse that they may have disapproved in silence.” Big Science 2015-07-07T00:00:00Z Bridget excuses herself to use the bathroom and when she emerges her wedding ring is absent from her finger. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z He tried to think of some excuse to go, then considered whether or not he should tell the soldiers. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z He’s glad to have an excuse to be out of the apartment, instead of waiting for her, at some point this evening, to return. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z But it was a shallow excuse, for he did not believe in eating meat either. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z More and more, I find myself hovering at the edge of the schoolyard, always with an excuse, like picking avocadoes from the trees by the fence, or pasturing the cow. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z I agreed with Mama: there was just no excuse for the way Miss Love acted. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z “I’d make up a great excuse, but honesty’s the best policy. Mark made me go up to the stream and we ... you know.” The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z It’s a feeble excuse, but she nods, anyway, and then heads toward the back without another word. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z When I opened it, he stood in the doorway for a minute and said, “Excuse me, excuse me.” The Stranger 1989-03-13T00:00:00Z I get the feeling he’s trying to think of an excuse to leave. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z She excused herself to go to the bathroom more than once, tore down to the basement door each time, and knocked softly. Chasing Vermeer 2004-06-01T00:00:00Z On the face of it, that was excuse enough. The Woman All Spies Fear 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z Gogol wants to excuse himself, to raise his hand and take a trip to the lavatory, but at the same time he wants to draw as little attention to himself as possible. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z The last thing I wanted was for Cletus to have an excuse to hang out at the trailer any more than he already did. Missing May 1992-03-01T00:00:00Z “Please excuse me. Please excuse me,” she repeated abjectly. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z People experienced a sense of invulnerability and well-being by attending rap sessions, outdoor flute concerts; enjoyed having an official excuse to compare nightmares or break down in public. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z Eventually we ran out of nothing to talk about, and I excused myself and went upstairs to be alone. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z And since Milligan was standing guard, and Rhonda herself was too busy to do more than bring their supper and excuse herself, the children dined alone. The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z "May I be excused, please?" she recited stiffly. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z I wanted to think he had only added milk to his tea as an excuse to brush up against me. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z I’m done with those; regrets are an excuse for people who have failed. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z “Um, excuse me? Did you two watch the same movie I watched?” From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z The teacher wouldn’t excuse her to go to the bathroom. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z But later the expanse and room were easy excuses for not seeing one another. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z But I'm probably just making excuses, because maybe it was all about me having a crush on a girl and feeling desperate. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z If it’s too far away, I’ll have the perfect excuse to ditch it. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z I excused myself for not asking him in. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z He’s excusing himself all the way across the room. The Skin I'm In 1998-10-16T00:00:00Z “You just say that because you have not any other excuse.” Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z Grandma says the Sacred Heart is everywhere and there’s no excuse for that kind of ignorance. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z Mom always says we need a man to come over and fix it, but my aunt Lucy always said it was the perfect excuse to not have to answer the front door. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z I make a second attempt on Tuesday but don’t manage to leave the house, reading an awful book as an excuse. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z It’s no excuse that what they did was legal at the time: their crimes are retroactive. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z Mother excused him from holding up his conversational end. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z “Lane, would you excuse me again for just a second?” Franny and Zooey 1961-09-14T00:00:00Z Bheki was the drinks man, always finding us booze and always coming up with an excuse to drink. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z Is he so near and dear to the Capitol that he’ll be excused his crimes? Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z "You look beautiful. My parents have been asking me to bring you home for weeks. No more excuses." You Bring the Distant Near 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z One day Katie, falling back on a woman’s always-respected excuse, told her forelady that it was her time of the month; she didn’t feel so good. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z The mighty warrior excused himself and changed a diaper. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z Minor infractions were tolerated and “he’s just being a boy” was an all-purpose excuse for anything short of a felony. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z I continued throwing excuses at Justin but started to wither under the heat of his glare. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z Even when we were out playing, he’d excuse himself, draw water from the well in the yard, wash up, and disappear into the hut. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z “This was my fault, and I had no excuse for not being there,” she told her players. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference 2009-04-21T00:00:00Z He was very outgoing, using any excuse to start a chat. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z “I have rather a busy afternoon in front of me, and I hope you will excuse me dashing away.” Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z Boys from all over found excuses to frequent Shady’s place. Moon Over Manifest 2010-10-12T00:00:00Z Daddy, and our mother too, they didn’t want to hear about excuses. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z But at least Arobynn had an excuse for being equal parts tyrannical and doting. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z When I look at him, I don’t see the cowardly young man who sold me out to Jeanine Matthews, and I don’t hear the excuses he gave afterward. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z He had no intention of eating in his family’s house, and was perfecting several excuses to remove himself from the vicinity at the last moment. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z But I was just making excuses to myself for being so stupid. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z I had no good excuse for this, except the one that everyone these days seems to have. Tuesdays with Morrie 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z “But now you must excuse me. Ghost, with me.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z Now if you will excuse me, I must return upstairs.' The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z The day may come when Mr. Marsden would welcome any excuse to let you go.” Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z I was grateful for the excuse to get away and ran for it. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z That was the excuse they used, says Aunt Lydia. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z I would leave my science book at home on purpose so I could use the excuse of sharing hers. Bodega Dreams 2000-03-14T00:00:00Z "I must be excused," he said with the last of his dig-nity. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z When you began to catch glimpses of something different— like that spoonful of cinnamon, and the smile that went along with it—you made excuses for her. Goodbye Stranger 2015-08-04T00:00:00Z “Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me,” Finn said, as he barreled through the throngs of people, thousands of people, more people than he’d ever seen at the fair, or anywhere in his life. Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z He excused himself and left his office to consult with others. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Her hands are shaking as she refastens her purse, and when it’s closed, she faces me and says, “No, excuse me for raising such a self-absorbed daughter.” The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z Isabella stops and looks down into her cup, like the great excuse she might have for dancing with the boy I like might be hiding in there. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z “Well, I know that the school was looking for an excuse to start the pilot program, and they used Shawna’s assault as a means to justify its use.” Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z I am glad the root men give me an excuse not to answer, because, of course, she’s right. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z Luckily he bought our excuse about a water bubbler malfunction. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z He’s always making excuses—“She didn’t mean nothing by it,” “She’s yanking your chain”—when Dina does things like intone “the Tribe has spoken” when Molly expresses an opinion. Orphan Train 2013-04-02T00:00:00Z “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to wash my hands and take cover.” Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z Any excuse to escape judgment and play for a while in the tangle of trees by the roadside was good enough for me. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z Here was the perfect excuse for me to spend a lot of time with the boy. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z I didn’t eat mine; I stacked it on top of the scarf and the figurines in a pile next to my backpack, with the excuse that I’d eat it later. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z "Nothing, excuse me," he said, rolling to the door and beckoning. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z “I ate most of mine on the way here,” he said carelessly, wondering why he had not thought of this excuse before. The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z This small prompt was all the excuse I needed. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z Any excuse to avert my eyes from the other passengers. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z The three men have a brief yet engaging conversation about clocks and the nature of time before Mr. A. H— makes a polite excuse and fades into the background again. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z And because he knew he was weak, he grew more and more stern and painstaking and much less likely to accept an excuse or a borderline disability. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z “Sue Lee’s just usin’ me as an excuse to have a luncheon. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z “Bud,” she said, “Mr. C.—excuse me, your granddad didn’t know anything about you. No one knew where your mother had gone.” Bud, Not Buddy 1999-09-02T00:00:00Z These were excuses Chess and Emma had added for needing to go along to the house with Finn. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z “Yeah, he would,” said Harry, who did not want excuses made for Ron. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z “I want to be excused,” he said sullenly. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z It was all an excuse to keep our lethargy a little busy. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z At lunch, I ask Albert and Keisha about some diseases I can use as an excuse not to go. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z It wasn't dirty, but I needed some excuse to cover the amount of time I was spending in the bathroom. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z But that didn’t excuse our abusing our authority. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z But David’s desperation to save his life’s work doesn’t excuse killing off a faction, my faction. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z Once in the Netherlands, Blake came up with an excuse to make a brief detour to The Hague, a small Dutch city on the North Sea, very close to Rotterdam. Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z “They make me peel all the potatoes. She always has an excuse. Now they’ll probably make you peel her potatoes while she sleeps late.” When I Was Puerto Rican 1993-09-20T00:00:00Z “Well, what’s your excuse for visiting this time?” she asked, batting her lashes. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z I figured this would give Zoe an excuse to start yelling at me. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z That’s when I thanked them for the French fries and excused myself. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z “Wow. Samantha is wasting her time at that sad excuse of a coffee shop. She can be the Hermione in our trio. Dibs on Harry.” What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z At Duke, missing practice to study for a test was an acceptable excuse. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z Brother Jim usually got bored and asked to be excused, but I always stayed, fascinated by their tales. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z And, there goes Mad Max; and, excuse me while I barf; and, look what escaped from the freak show; and, oh, my gawd that's disgusting. Freak The Mighty 1993-10-01T00:00:00Z While I was trying to think up an excuse to leave, Dad leaned forward and predicted, “Dwight David Eisenhower will be the last good president this country will have for a very, very long time.” October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z The doctor excused himself from the room, and Theo and Edith waited to see what would happen in tense, emotional silence. I Can Make This Promise 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z He gripped his poor excuse for a spear. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z “I saw him in the archery butts, and he saw me too. But he looked away. He made an excuse and went out He has not even seen our baby.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z Harry thought he heard Percy discoursing loudly on broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello.... Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z That wasn't an excuse in the circles he ran in. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z “I’m going to see if I can find an excuse to stop by the shop tomorrow. Maybe I’ll ask to have something made.” Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z I made some excuses and wove through the crowds that were dancing in the palace courtyards. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z Mom says it was unbelievable because the nurse never even said excuse me! Wonder 2012-02-14T00:00:00Z I excused myself, glad to be out of the spotlight. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z Everything turned out all right after all; Bep just had a sore throat, not the flu, and Mr. Kugler got a medical certificate to excuse him from the work detail. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z But best of all, I had my excuse to get away. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z I had never informed upon a boy in the public school, and I was waiting for the boy in front of me to come to my aid, lying, making up excuses, anything. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z “I will do all I can to prevent that, my friend. I have a ... notion. But pray excuse me. It is past time the Domishmen heard that their prince is dead.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z That might explain it, but it’s no excuse for being unfriendly. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z They always invite me, but I make up excuses not to go. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z I do suspect he would not have had a pair of horses for himself, and that it was only as an excuse for assisting them.” Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z She showed me that excuses will not bring about success and that adversity is not something you walk with, but something you leap over. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z Ml hand out tokens to all my friends so they got no excuse not to take the ride downtown, okay? Bronx Masquerade 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z All morning, as people have been loading the bus, I’ve been scrubbing the apartment clean, finding excuses to walk past the window to glimpse Antonio outside. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z “On your first day you are excused from activities, but after that you are expected to attend on a daily basis.” It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z “Hmmm,” I said, taking another bite of pizza as an excuse to look down. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z Like Dedd, I just didn’t have the nerves for revolution, but unlike her, I didn’t have the excuse of a bossy husband. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Papa pushed the chessboard aside and excused himself to use the phone in his study. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z I gulped a bowl of porridge, burning my mouth in my haste, and excused myself. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z “Whoever that guy is, he definitely saw you,” she said, “so I’m making an excuse for you.” Turtles All the Way Down 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z She didn’t want to give them any excuse to think of her as unreasonable or to say the minute she left the room, “You know how those people are.” Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z Santiago catches my eye, excuses himself, and walks over to me. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z I stand next to Uhmma, my hands folded, and wait to be excused. A Step from Heaven 2001-04-30T00:00:00Z He canceled his next appointment and wrote me an absence excuse for my next class, which was California history. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z Her words did not console me, for she spoke like a mother excusing the rudeness of her young child. Ophelia 2006-10-31T00:00:00Z I’m not imprinted with a schedule, so I wander around aimlessly until Prim’s excused from her hospital duties to take me to our family’s latest compartment. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z I was going to excuse myself, when he added, “Wemmick’s coming.” Great Expectations 1861-08-01T00:00:00Z She was about to make up an excuse for why she had to get home, when a voice shattered the silence. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z “Flint’s excuse is that their Seeker’s arm’s still injured,” said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z “No, I left no excuse. I told Joe to say I was out, that was all.” The Awakening 1899-01-01T00:00:00Z I tried to think of an excuse, but I didn’t have one. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z I think she was glad of the excuse he provided, for since her return she had not cared to be seen about, and of course there would be a large crowd in the town. Nectar in a Sieve 1954-01-01T00:00:00Z “I don’t have a pass,” I offered as an excuse. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z And Antain would need yet another excuse to make himself scarce. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z Then she stuck her hands under the faucet to rinse without even saying excuse me and shook her hands practically right in Evan's face and said, "So how much money did you make?" The Lemonade War 2007-04-23T00:00:00Z I knew the money dilemma was just an excuse. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z Oh, Mina dear, I can’t help crying: and you must excuse this letter being all blotted. Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z You must excuse me, Mrs Benn, but I was just recalling certain things you wrote in your letter. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z ‘If you’ll excuse me, where there are tourists, there are bathrooms. I need to use the little praetors’ room.’ Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z “It was some man, and she excused her shame by putting it on the god.” Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z The news wasn’t going to cheer up Dad, but at least it gave me an excuse to see him again. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z This is not meant to be an excuse, but an explanation. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z “Fine team of horses you have there, though you’ll excuse me if I root for the Hermes cabin.” The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z Even if animals can’t suffer like human beings, there is no excuse for the cruelty that goes on in our factory farms and feedlots. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z “Far as I’m concerned, it’s nothing more than an excuse for grown men to behave like schoolboys.” Hattie Big Sky 2006-09-26T00:00:00Z “When you learn so much so fast, you get so tired. I do anyway. Please may I be excused?” The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z The garden provided many excuses for breaking that particular rule. Seedfolks 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z For what can excuse a man in the eyes of other men for lack of strength? Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937-09-18T00:00:00Z "Teacher, not even you could excuse such a thing as leaving a baby alone to die by the side of the road," said Pong. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z The next day, the nuns were busy and Mr. Taphouse was at home, so Malcolm had no excuse to go to the priory. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z I try to believe my excuses and make them reasonable, but my heart is filled with fear. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z In our family, because none of us fear Meng, this role falls to Khouy, who is not easily dissuaded by our charms or excuses. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z The chief and others warned against this new phase becoming an excuse for neglecting the essential tasks of organization and the traditional methods of struggle. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Maybe a girl would approach, and I’d have to mutter an excuse, drift away, and wait in dread for the long walk back, when Haskel and Dovid would tease me mercilessly. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z Then he turned to me and Nadia and asked if we would please excuse him and Julian for a minute. The View From Saturday 1996-09-01T00:00:00Z Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it’s so important that we don’t rely on it. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z I would just stand around and smile and talk and drink punch and eat sandwiches, and then I would make some excuse and get away early. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z The sociopolitical landscape of Chapel Hill High School was treacherous enough without giving people an excuse to pick on you. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z Compressed into the very lowest vacant corner were these words—“I had not a spare moment on Tuesday, as you know, for Miss Woodhouse’s beautiful little friend. Pray make my excuses and adieus to her.” Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z “But that doesn’t excuse your lying and going to Harvard without permission. That was really dangerous.” From the Desk of Zoe Washington 2020-01-14T00:00:00Z I spent the entire walk trying to devise an excuse to escape family dinner so I could go to Diego’s barbecue. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z I excused myself and went to the bathroom. Adrift 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z “That excuse is more used than a box of Ivory flakes on wash day.” Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z “But you need a parent to excuse you,” she mumbled, pushing herself up on her forearms. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z Later, when Moody asked, Pearl always had an excuse that was plausibly vague. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z While the Doctorita was pregnant, she glowed, all pink and round and happy because she had an excuse to eat a lot. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z In another few moments, she decided, she would fashion some excuse for her and the children to leave. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z “Now pray excuse me. I have a feast to attend.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z I finally had a good excuse for why I never ate lunch. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z I’ve been looking for an excuse to linger in his room and get him talking without his noticing, and yesterday I got my chance. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z Sergeant Bickle said, “I wonder if you would excuse me a few minutes?” Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z After excusing himself, he asked Vera if she needed a cab back to her hotel. Bodega Dreams 2000-03-14T00:00:00Z A large plot stretched behind it with a cistern, a privy, a poor excuse for a garden, and at the far end, a carriage house and small stable. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z “Never have cared about safety or whatever excuse they make.” Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z Nonracial explanations and excuses for the systematic mass incarceration of people of color are plentiful. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z Then Percy excused himself to go throw up. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z In a poorly lit room that smells like hand sanitizer on a sorry excuse for a recliner with his wrapped foot propped up. Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z I put my hand on his shoulder before announcing to the court that Myers could be excused. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z In our day and age, you might give a cop-out excuse like "The heart wants what it wants," but keep in mind this was Iran in the 1940s. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z Forget baseball or swimming at the public pool, which was just an excuse to stare at the college girls who spent their summers guarding from those tall towers. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z “Mr. Gitney has requested ... I should ...” I said to them, and bowed, too weak to complete the excuse; and so 1 continued my retreat. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z It also, of course, gave me an excuse to see Barack. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z “Please. I was trying to use the water closet. Now if you'll excuse me.” Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z We learned all too soon that had been just the excuse the Nazis needed. The Boy on the Wooden Box 2013-08-27T00:00:00Z Once I invited Danny to come home and eat with us, but he refused the invitation with a lame excuse, looking a little embarrassed. The Chosen 1967-04-28T00:00:00Z Despite the obvious excuse I could have used to avoid Mr. Sampson—that I was traveling back up to my apartment instead of down to the lobby—I stepped into the elevator and said hello. Confessions of a Murder Suspect 2012-09-24T00:00:00Z At first, Minerva made excuses about how Dinorah learned bad civic habits from a corrupt system. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z The tenants, who still had no idea what Ampai was up to, complained about having to stumble around, so Somkit made up some excuse about tinkering with the tinfoil cones. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z Vic thought it too fancy a word to be proper, and soon had gotten the entire table laughing and saying “enjoyable” in mocking tones until Reynie had finally excused himself without dessert and retreated here. The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z None of the foregoing should be interpreted as an excuse for the violence, decadence, or misogyny that pervades what has come to be known as gangsta culture. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z After dinner, while the Yoshotos were discussing, in Japanese, some perhaps provocative topic, I asked to be excused from the table. Nine Stories 1953-04-06T00:00:00Z He stood up, and without a word to the others, without even excusing himself, he walked out of the room with Jahrling. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z When it came time to join the parade to the kitchen for dinner, I asked to be excused. Nine Stories 1953-04-06T00:00:00Z He smiles and nods his head to excuse himself. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z I will go back to Pakistan eventually, but whenever I tell my father I want to go home, he finds excuses. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z I know she would have gone, though, no matter the excuse. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z Even if you said you had to go to the lavatory, that was not accepted as an excuse and they punished you just the same. The BFG 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z All my excuses vanished, and I broke open. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z “Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must return to my laboratory. My purple goop is boiling over a Bunsen burner. So are my ramen noodles.” The Smartest Kid in the Universe 2020-12-01T00:00:00Z The discussions give me an excuse to talk to him, fatherly conversations I cannot have with my own father, who would like me to be a lawyer. Tuesdays with Morrie 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z I’d hold on to my stomachache excuse for now, see how things went, and if I wasn’t having fun in ten minutes, then I’d use it. Hope Springs 2021-08-10T00:00:00Z Now Uncle was a proud man, and it had probably taken him most of last evening and this morning just to work himself up to this point where he would make excuses for his actions. Dragonwings 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z She always had some good excuse for not talking about the Golden Mountain. Dragonwings 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z Presently, with an excuse, he left me, asking me to put all my papers together. Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z A faint trail was a good excuse to veer slightly off course. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z I couldn’t think of a single excuse for why I’d be out with seven chickens on a farm that looked—I’m sorry to say this—like it had been abandoned. Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer 2015-05-12T00:00:00Z Stella was happy for an excuse to close her notebook. Stella by Starlight 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z I excused myself and proceeded to make my exit. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z He excused himself with a small bow that included each of us in turn. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z “I hope you don’t think this excuses you from chores.” A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z After his wife came back, that was his excuse: on Sundays he drove into Boston and went running along the Charles. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z But Dad liked it best when there was no sun and he had an excuse to take his pictures indoors. Cheaper by the Dozen 1948-01-01T00:00:00Z That excuse was okay for me—-for the time being—so we rented a room in the Port Royal on 129th Street. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z I’m not sure if a well-rested Mama would buy my excuse, but since she’s as tired as I’m pretending to be, she just nods. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z It sounds like a pretty good excuse to me. Ungifted 2012-08-21T00:00:00Z It wasn’t that impressive, but I was glad I had an excuse to video him. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z For instance, I hated swimming during PE and considered it a basic human right to use my menstrual cycle as an excuse to stay out of the water. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z "Jazz, could you excuse us for a second, sweetie? Go hang in your room just for a few minutes." When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z He started an advanced placement program and stopped making excuses for poor academic performance on the basis of a child’s socio-economic background. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z Anna gave me a sharp kick in the ankle and leaped in to make an excuse on my behalf. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z She feels a bit guilty for all these months of studying, aware that with her exams as an excuse, she has ignored Nikhil perhaps more than necessary. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z The big question was to find an excuse to get away. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z Like most events in his life, it is another excuse for his parents to throw a party for their Bengali friends. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z Though I thought of him constantly, I grabbed any excuse to avoid my guitar. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z He wasn’t nearly as crisp and efficient about this chore as he had been with the others, and it soon became obvious the polishing was only an excuse to touch and hold. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z No doubt he was hoping for an excuse to take a round fifty points from Gryffindor before the end of the class. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z He's been inviting me to come over, but I make up excuses. You Bring the Distant Near 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z But at the moment, I excuse myself from thinking about even those I love most. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z “I wouldn’t need to think of an excuse. I’d tell her the truth.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z But I nod only so I have an excuse to go back into the dining room and get a closer look at the box. Dragons in a Bag 2018-10-23T00:00:00Z Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z “You’re excused. Your friends are here to talk to you, not me.” On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z Then I saw it would be pointless to swim as far as the rock, because my body would take that excuse to climb out and lie in the sun, gathering strength to swim back. The Bell Jar 1963-01-14T00:00:00Z “You are excused, Son Who Honors His Father. Go now to the First Craftsman and find out your task.” The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z I bet she needs it back, and it’s also a good excuse to see Ziggy again. A Soft Place to Land 2021-09-14T00:00:00Z I excuse myself and run upstairs to check out my alphabet poster. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z The girl wears a long shirt, which is an excuse for a dress; its frayed hem kisses the tops of her feet. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z In any case, Jule didn’t have to make excuses for not having the rent. Genuine Fraud 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z “I was sick and I know that’s no excuse, but I was feeling real poor and...” The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z She excuses herself a moment to prepare a tray of little snacks they urge her not to trouble herself to prepare. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z He told himself that he wasn’t consciously looking for an excuse to ruin Lydia’s mood. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z “No excuses this time!!” she scrawls in her sharply slanted script. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z “That was just the excuse of an old man.” The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z The role of this state in bringing on the war served as a “just” excuse for atrocities that no thoughtful man could excuse. Across Five Aprils 1964-01-01T00:00:00Z Although not an excuse, such things can make a person with such a dark and disturbed side commit acts they may never have if not under their influence. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z “It was child’s play, winning this fortune. Now, if all of you will excuse me, my bride and I need to go home for our wedding night.” The Bad Beginning 1999-08-25T00:00:00Z When Connor asks to visit me, I make up some dumb excuse and hope he never brings it up again. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z “If it’s any excuse, I’ve noticed just lately that I’m rather lightheaded in your presence. I mean, I've never gone barefoot into someone’s house before. It must be the heat!” Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z Susie Spencer, whose tardiness could set clocks, rushed in, her face long with excuses. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson 1984-10-12T00:00:00Z But Gregor wouldn't be casually dismissed right way because of this small discourtesy, for which he would find an easy and suitable excuse later on. The Metamorphosis 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z “I, uh, forgot this,” I said, by way of an excuse. Willodeen 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z But she knew that his excuse, that he’d spent the afternoon jogging, allowed him to take a shower when he got home, first thing. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z “Centurion, your party is excused. The senate has other matters to discuss. And, Octavian, if I may confer with you for a moment.” The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z “No,” Sandy says, and he sounds a little angry, “but excuse me for not wanting to get eaten by a gator.” King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z I mumbled excuses and slipped across the courthouse square. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z When the time proposed drew near, Mrs. Weston’s fears were justified in the arrival of a letter of excuse. Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z But this banality of violence can never excuse America, because America makes no claim to the banal. Between the World and Me 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z She had just wanted an excuse to call and thank Dad. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z “Nothing can be actually settled yet, perhaps,” replied Emma, smiling—“but, excuse me, it must be thought of.” Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z So she told us that we could both be excused. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z Mr. Post climbs out and comes in the porch door, and Miss Larsen excuses herself from the lesson and goes to the back. Orphan Train 2013-04-02T00:00:00Z “But if you must and you can, then there’s no excuse.” The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z Unlike me, he had an excuse for being clumsy. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z I don’t worry about what excuse I’ll give Ms. Fleming at the end of class. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z He said, Having a broken heart is no excuse to break someone else’s. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle 2018-01-23T00:00:00Z He hated selling them anyway, although it gave him an excuse to get out of the house. The Chocolate War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z Firecrackers exploded on the walkway outside our open window and someone said this was a good excuse for me to jump into my husband’s arms. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z And the beautiful bursts of light across the harbor, the roar of the cannons giving the men an excuse to put their arms around their frightened sweethearts!” The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z At least there she’d have an excuse for not knowing things. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z With Tom, she might have been able to linger at the door on some excuse and hear what Yoren was saying, but Desmond was too single-minded to trick. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z Way inside, though, I know this is an excuse. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z And it doesn’t matter what my excuse was. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z Then, as soon as we had gotten inside, she excused herself, went into the ladies’ room, and came back without her orchid. The Wednesday Wars 2007-05-21T00:00:00Z “They left us no choice!” he says, as if it can excuse his actions. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z With work as an excuse he does not go home to Massachusetts all summer. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z “But now my little friend must excuse me. I have the honor to be a magister of this great city, and the prince has summoned us to session.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z He said excuse me, though, and they all looked forward again. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z "Pray excuse me, my queen. I find I am very tired." A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z Don’t want to feel that Judd’s so sore at me he’ll think up any excuse at all to run his truck over my dog. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z So I excused myself on the grounds of pain and fatigue, as I often had over the years when seeing Kaitlyn or any of my other friends. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z She makes an excuse about needing a shower and warns me again to keep the dog quiet. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z Something was terribly wrong if everything was all right and they had no excuse for turning back. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z Any excuse—even an accusation that could not be proved—was enough. Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z “Calypso. Beautiful as always. Would you excuse us, please, my dear? I need to have a word with our young Percy Jackson.” The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z “And don’t let him put you off with excuses.” Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z Don’t give her an excuse to hurt you again. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z A woman with big breasts sucks her teeth when I climb over her to squeeze into a little spot without saying excuse me. Hurricane Child 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z I don't know why my mother continues to make excuses for her—she'd never let me get away with such bad behavior. Born Behind Bars 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z The officers were in the middle of excusing themselves from the table, buttoning up their coats and putting on their hats. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z The way he excused my behavior, blaming it on my pretend pregnancy. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z “Don’t believe in giving them one more excuse to knock a colored man down,” Daddy says all the time. Finding Langston 2018-08-14T00:00:00Z The telephone rang and with another hand sign, this one for “excuse me,” Crawley answered it. Stormbreaker 2000-09-04T00:00:00Z The fact that I had no legs did not excuse me from participating. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z I excuse myself to the locker room to check my cell phone, and there are texts Text Messages from Mom, Part Two 5:47 Dad’s having complications. The Crossover 2014-03-18T00:00:00Z To say I had stolen money was merely Aycliffe’s excuse to declare me a wolf’s head. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z I had let it ride, laying off some lame excuse like I had to get uptown even though I was carrying my ball. Slam! 1996-11-01T00:00:00Z Now that Jefferson had raised the issue of political betrayal, he would have to “excuse the freedom of this discussion...which has taken off the Shackles I should otherwise found myself embarrassed with.” Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation 2000-10-17T00:00:00Z I’m right in the middle of coming up with a really sorry excuse when I blink, and Mrs. Walters’s facial features begin to swell and shrink. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z I managed a drumstick and a couple scoops of mashed potatoes and coleslaw and then excused myself. Mississippi Trial, 1955 2002-05-27T00:00:00Z They always come in pairs-—though never the same pair twice—with their rifles and casual excuses. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z It’s the first time since my near execution that I’ve seen him remorseful instead of defensive or full of excuses. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z The reader became my excuse, my reason for writing. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z She excuses herself, sending in nurses to check my arcana levels. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z Her expression lay somewhere between anger and disappointment but settled into a familiar look of annoyance as Ophie began to stammer out an excuse. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z Whenever test day came, she recalled, she would work herself into such a state of anxiety that sometimes she had to excuse herself to throw up. Class Matters 2005-09-02T00:00:00Z “She was just making an excuse to spend time with him,” he said as if it were plain as day. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z I started making excuses for him in my head. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z “May I be excused now? The children are waiting in the nursery, and it seems we have much to accomplish before the holidays.” The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z She even called down to the office and got Cap and me excused from period one so we wouldn’t get in trouble. Schooled 2000-02-29T00:00:00Z I think of being too tired to fight with him anymore, or to hear his excuses; too tired to care that my brother had abandoned me. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z During the visit, Chadwick continued to show his sulky side, treating the American so rudely that his colleagues and friends were forced to make excuses. Big Science 2015-07-07T00:00:00Z But this is not a good excuse to stop eating broccoli. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z They were looking for an excuse and you gave it to them. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z Though the physician excused me from training and watch, my mother doesn't seem to care. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z “Engaged since October,—secretly engaged.—It has hurt me, Emma, very much. It has hurt his father equally. Some part of his conduct we cannot excuse.” Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z Which gave him an excuse to walk right past me and talk to Dolores, who was fifteen and pretty and still didn't look pregnant. Seedfolks 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z I get up from the table without excusing myself and ignore my mom when she calls my name. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z “We’ve just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn’t got an excuse to pick on us.” Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1997-06-26T00:00:00Z Before, I was using the time as an excuse to leave, but now it really is getting late. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z I knew she was using Byron as an excuse to come back out and see what was going on. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z I have made excuses not to go east for Christmas. Cat's Eye 1988-09-01T00:00:00Z He had us drop him off at his apartment—he had some excuse, plausible enough, I can’t remember what it was—and when he got out of the car he gave me a hundred-dollar bill. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z I open my mouth to speak, my mind already rolling out multiple excuses. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z From time to time Desdemona would remind her son about his outstanding obligation to St. Christopher, but my father always found an excuse for not fulfilling it. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z “If you will excuse me,” she said, rising, “I will call my woman.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z Ivy nodded, ready for June to grimace or stammer some excuse. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z I knew my curiosity didn’t excuse my staring or wanting to piy. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z I took the heavy crystal glass and raised it to my lips, glad for an excuse to turn from her eyes. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z He could explain the situation to the Warden, and the Warden might make up an excuse for giving him the day off, so X-Ray wouldn't suspect. Holes 1998-08-20T00:00:00Z “Don’t be feeling sorry for her. It’s not an excuse to go around doing terrible things to other people.” Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z It wasn’t easy, answering all Mother’s questions and inventing an excuse to explain my nap to Father. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z He looked forward to an excuse to talk to her. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z When Katie asked where I was going, I made an excuse. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z That probably makes me a jerk, and I should clearly text him an excuse, but I don’t even know what I’d say. Leah on the Offbeat 2018-04-24T00:00:00Z I bumped into shoulders, said “excuse me” as I tried to push through. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z She was already running, tunneling through the crowd, bouncing off grown-ups’ legs, her mother after her, “Excuse me...excuse me...” Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z I thought of all the dreams I had had about how I was going to find some excuse for seeing Vivian to give her the barrette I had bought for her. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z I could not pretend I had not heard him, and no one would understand any excuse for my not coming down to hear his report. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z I was running out of time and excuses. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z He always found some excuse for these moves besides breaking up quarrels, but always, when he transferred the men, he reminded them that they could survive only by cooperating. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World 1998-11-17T00:00:00Z But if we are grown-ups who have been through full-time education, we have no excuse for muddling them up. Eats, Shoots & Leaves 2003-11-06T00:00:00Z And even if I had pledged all my winnings to the families, it would not excuse my silence today. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z For two pins he'd make an excuse and get away...Throw up the whole business... And Then There Were None 1939-11-06T00:00:00Z Or, even better, an excuse to keep picking on me. Liar & Spy 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z “Well, yes,” said Fadi, rifling his brain for a good excuse. Shooting Kabul 2010-06-22T00:00:00Z “You will excuse yourself from this meeting. Now.” Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z “Please, ” shouted Botticelli, “do kill him! He is a miserable excuse for a rat. ” The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread 2003-08-25T00:00:00Z She didn’t edge away nervously, though, or look around for an excuse to leave me standing there making weird noises to myself. Liar, Liar 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z As our team streams offstage, I excuse myself on the pretense of needing the bathroom. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z “I was wondering about that little house,” said Kit, by way of excuse. The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z The excuse might work if he knew how to deliver it, but he says it with a snap. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z Jónsson realized that releasing him would be a death sentence, so he kept making excuses to keep Bobby in the hospital, trying to keep him comfortable as long as he could. Endgame 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z At least they kept her hands occupied and gave her an excuse for not meeting that implacable gaze. The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z After we’d all been talking a while she even made an excuse to come sit closer to me. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z I invented excuses to stroll down the aisle—which Baba acknowledged with a playful smirk—and pass the Taheris’ stand. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z “Because you haven’t cleaned up yet,” he said to the orphans, “I suppose you can be excused from attending tonight’s performance. But after cleaning up, you are to go straight to your beds.” The Bad Beginning 1999-08-25T00:00:00Z I excuse myself from the room and head down the hall. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z “I leave an excellent substitute in my daughter. Emma will be happy to entertain you. And therefore I think I will beg your excuse and take my three turns—my winter walk.” Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z Please sir, may I be excused to go to the lavatory? Boy: Tales of a Childhood 1984-01-01T00:00:00Z Victor excuses himself after finishing his coffee, refusing to weigh in on the cake issue. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z I ate a couple more bites of salmon and rice, and then asked to be excused. From the Desk of Zoe Washington 2020-01-14T00:00:00Z It’s still a mess of barely paid employees searching for any excuse to exact a bribe. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z October also meant that the Fall Fiesta was looming, and it was getting harder to find excuses for why I needed to stay after school or go to Joe’s. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z I had to pack, and I had to make some excuse about why I’d be away all night. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z And Guitar was becoming just like them—except he made no excuses for himself—just agreed, it seemed to Milkman, with every grievance he heard. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z A slave had no rights, and certainly no excuse for striking a white man. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z He would make any kind of an excuse. The Cay 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z But instead, I nod and scrape my chair back and excuse myself from the table, walking to my room and closing the door. Hurricane Child 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z And, as a rule, to see him in action was to excuse him. Mountains Beyond Mountains 2013-04-13T00:00:00Z Finally I finished and said, “Can I be excused?” and they hardly even paused from their conversation about the strengths and weaknesses of Guinean infrastructure. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z Even a remote village of the Guthen Coast has radio, and they could not have pleaded ignorance of the Order of Exile; only real ignorance of their guest’s identity might give them some excuse. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z Naomi couldn’t say anything when she walked past; they didn’t have the twins as a buffer or an excuse. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z They seemed glad to see me and in a little while Miss Ferguson excused herself and went away. A Farewell To Arms 1929-09-02T00:00:00Z “Please excuse me while I escort this extremely disturbed and neurotic child to the other side of the car,” said Tootie. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures 2013-09-24T00:00:00Z He stopped and gave us a very sorry excuse for a smile. Keep It Together, Keiko Carter 2020-05-05T00:00:00Z I’ll have to get good at thinking up excuses if I’m going to have to do these treatments twice a week. How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z She’s called a lot, but I usually make an excuse and say how busy I am and that I can’t talk. Piecing Me Together 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z We never folded our clothes at home, but that Laundromat was so warm and cozy, we were looking for any excuse to extend our stay. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z “I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z I also try to speak for myself and ask my teachers to excuse me from some of the homework. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z The saddle was a good excuse to drop by. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z I sometimes wonder how much irrationality in the world has been excused by the nonsensical saying “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” a corruption of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s remark about “a foolish consistency.” The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z “Oh, I see. The old lady will just excuse herself from this conversation.” Watch Us Rise 2019-02-12T00:00:00Z Then one day, as they are all filing out of the classroom, one of the women approaches him, and says, “So what’s your excuse?” and because he has none, that night he tags along. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z Their dark skin, their gender, their economic status— none of those were acceptable excuses for not giving the fullest rein to their imaginations and ambitions. Hidden Figures 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z “I am sure Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise.” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z It was like we couldn’t stop finding excuses to touch each other. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z "Because there's no excuse for your annoying temperament after we've had such a delicious lunch." The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z “It’s perfectly fine,” Luke said, “perfectly fine. It gives me an excuse to have a drink in the middle of the night.” The Haunting of Hill House 1959-10-01T00:00:00Z “I’ve got to be excused,” I told my parents, and I walked through the restaurant with that fast-walking gonna-throw-up gait—a run aching to get out—that I learned to perfect over the next year. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z "Pray excuse me," her father announced to the table. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z Even I, who could come up with an excuse for everything, was at a loss for a good one in this situation. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z But by the time my mother had had her say about him, I saw his brain had shrunk from laziness, so that now it was good only for thinking up excuses. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z “That is an excuse; it isn’t the truth.” The Awakening 1899-04-22T00:00:00Z She hurried to the cart, trembling as she struggled to make some excuse to defend herself. Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z However, as calmness wasn't an end in itself I made an excuse at the first possible moment and got to my feet. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z I jumped toward the kitchen with the excuse of making tea. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z Any answer would have been an excuse to him, the one I gave, most of all. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z ‘And I would give gold to be excused,’ said Legolas; ‘and double to be let out, if I strayed in!’ The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z “Now listen to me, you two. We have a good excuse,” I reminded them. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z Werfel said, “Sir du Burgh is a soldier, not a diplomat. You must excuse him.” The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018-09-25T00:00:00Z That didn’t last long—there was too much pressure to act otherwise—but it gave us an excuse to be a little more reserved than we’d been in the Capitol. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z The meeting must have been exhausting, for it lasted only two hours, and Darwin had to excuse himself to take a break. The Gene 2016-06-02T00:00:00Z They were the ones who said she was guilty of the unforgivable thing—the thing for which there was no understanding, no excuse, no compassion. Sula 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z "And just, excuse my reach for a second..." We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z It's a pretty miserable excuse for a life, but technically it still qualifies. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z Then, seizing what seemed a suitable moment, I rose to my feet, saying: 'Please excuse me. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z I turn left again, walk down to the little playground, the only rather poor excuse for green space we have. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z And since neither of us wants to spiral down the rabbit hole of this particular madness, we excuse ourselves and go outside. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z The fact that Maurice excused himself to go and sit alone did not upset me. Double Helix 1968-02-27T00:00:00Z She waited for her mother to signal to her that she was excused. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z “Doesn’t matter if they let us in or not. Deal is, whoever takes the test gets excused from drills.” Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z Mother excused herself and went in the house. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z “I’m sorry. Will you excuse me for a moment?” she tells us, and she heads into the kitchen. Shouting at the Rain 2019-05-07T00:00:00Z "And now, little brother, pray excuse me. I need to bathe and dress for the feast. I wonder if I still have that chainmail gown I like to wear over my boiled leather smallclothes?" A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z “How about chicken pox? Have I used that excuse already?” Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z It wasn’t called for, there was no excuse. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z Anyway, all day I’ve been trying to think of a way of getting out of it, and now here she is, cornering me before I’ve nailed down an excuse. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z His excuse was that the schedule had been set and the programs had already been printed. Votes for Women! 2018-02-13T00:00:00Z I also spent a considerable amount of time on the road to Imre, usually under the excuse of visiting Threpe or enjoying the camaraderie of the other musicians at the Eolian. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z I would have to think of a good excuse. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z Corinthians continued to make roses, but she hated that stupid hobby and gave Lena any excuse to avoid it. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z “I didn’t excuse you, Farm Boy,” Buttercup began. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z “Hey, excuse me. Not to be a weirdo, but I recognize you.” The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z Cora will have done the shopping today, I’m excused from all duties. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z “Three dollars and twenty cents split four—excuse me.” Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z Then he said formally, “Sir, you must excuse me, I do not know your name.” The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z No. I’m saying it gave him an excuse. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z At dinner, he burps loudly and doesn’t excuse himself. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z I began to dread the walk home after school and tried to think up an excuse to walk by myself. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z It was a song that imitated the measure of beating upon iron, and was a mere lyrical excuse for the introduction of Old Clem’s respected name. Great Expectations 1861-08-01T00:00:00Z The man from the truck said, “Glad to hear it, but they aren’t paying us for excuses. They gave you enough cash to pay good money, so go find somebody!” Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have some injured friends I’ve got to tend to. Glad you could stop by, Rachel.” The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z I excused myself and hurried out the door. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z No, enjoying them, grateful for the excuse to be near him, ridiculously pleased every time she brought him close to a laugh. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z If he thought he could get away with an excuse like that, he had picked the wrong administrator. Ungifted 2012-08-21T00:00:00Z I imagine he’s one of those overbearing parents who makes you ask to be excused, and only after you’ve finished all your peas and carrots. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z When that did happen, they—the dogs—sheepishly excused themselves from the scene and slunk out of reach under the porch. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z The members of the expedition were excused all sentry duties and allowed to silflay whenever they wished. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z The writer of the slogan We get the job done, not make excuses presumably did not anticipate how customers would wince at the bad coordination. The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z “I need to study. I have an exam tomorrow and I think I’ll stay at my mother’s. Please excuse me, Pastor.” Bodega Dreams 2000-03-14T00:00:00Z Glad of an excuse to keep busy, he thought. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z She had been wanting an excuse to take Prudence to Hannah. The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z I don’t think my youth excuses it, but I accept her attempt at kindness without objection. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z “I don’t belong on those tapes. Hannah just wanted an excuse to kill herself.” Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z “Can Grace and I be excused?” she asked. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z How happy they seemed to have found this excuse, to let their natural friendliness out. Seedfolks 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z I excuse myself to change out of my dress and into a plain shirt and pants. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z In the beginning I ate the crustless sandwiches and opened a can of Coke, then excused myself to my bedroom to do homework or to listen to my iPod. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z He would get to the bottom of things without stuttering excuses. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z Mr. Muse excused himself to say hello to a friend. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z Lena excused herself and went to another room. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to fetch your poor orphan siblings.” The Bad Beginning 1999-08-25T00:00:00Z “I don’t know what your excuse is, Wraith. I’m the one who can never walk away from a bad hand.” Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z In any case the boys would have been excused from being eddicated just then. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z “Either that,” said Dozer, his hackles rising, “or they’re just using the storm as an excuse to dump their dogs!” Dog Squad 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z “Look, son, it isn’t that easy. The world isn’t going to kiss your boots because you learned to think. You have your answer. It’s no. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z “Well, you ain’t never had nothing to play with,” he said, excusing me, “but you start when you get a slave, and if you hit, you got a stake for something. ” The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z I’m just thinking of an excuse to leave, since she’s not, when Vanessa comes clomping up the steps. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z “There’s just no excuse. And you can’t make me think there is. Destroying your own neighborhood. That’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard of.” It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z Yet that’s a relief, too—an excuse to stay a bit longer, at least for now. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z I stuck around for a while, apologizing and trying to get her to excuse me, but she wouldn't. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z I open my mouth to come up with some story to excuse myself, but the sheriff has a hell of a left hook, and I go down before I can utter a word. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z On the way home I’d make excuses for her, telling myself that she had so many worries. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z I know that in Ms. Rucker’s eyes no excuse could validate such a miserable attempt at the homework. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z The British are not about to offer their excuses; true, they were sleeping during the years Germany was rearming itself, but all the other countries, especially those bordering on Germany, were asleep too. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z “I’m not excusing it. I’m just trying to explain what happened.” The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z He bit his lip as soon as the words were out; then, to excuse his loose tongue, told himself it could do no harm for the girl to know that much. The Book of Three 1964-03-12T00:00:00Z “Harabeoji, please excuse me, but could you tell us which is the way to Seoul?” Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z What excuse could she make to get into her trunks today? The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z “You both know the rules of this house. There is no excuse for this behavior.” The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z Rojas took care of me until my fever had subsided, my hand began to heal, and I returned to my senses; after that he had no more excuses to keep me there. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z It almost seemed that she was using the war as an excuse to leave Curacao. The Cay 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z “Too many words, Destiny. Don’t ever say ‘excuse me' or ‘sorry,’ and don’t end sentences with questions. Maybe He Just Likes You 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z He always says he will, but there’s always an excuse. Tears of a Tiger 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z By now, both of them would be screaming about dinner, how they were starving, and his mother would have another excuse for why she hadn’t put anything on the stove yet. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z Don't hesitate or allow yourself to make excuses. Into the Wild 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z I remembered something and dug into my pocket, glad for an excuse to divert the conversation. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z “But I could speak up and they could dismiss me. I mean, I doubt they’ll take me seriously. They’ll probably just make excuses,” I tell her. Piecing Me Together 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z Like offering candy to a child and then yanking back your hand with some excuse about saving his teeth, I thought. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z She excused herself and ran to the guest room. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z |
| 随便看 |
英语例句辞典收录了117811条英语例句在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用单词及词组的例句翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。