What does the phrase "needs no apologies" mean?

[donnach]

I've always wondered what it meant but never have been able to figure it out through context.

Ex: Dave's ESL Cafe needs no apologies. Is that good or bad? I have no clue!

Thanks,

Donna

[fluffyhamster]

"Needs no apology" is roughly four to five times more frequent on Google than "needs no apologies". It means roughly "There is or should be no need to apologize for X', so perhaps it overlaps somewhat with 'I make no apology for (doing > saying) X' (i.e. the "needs no apology" is a statement that is divorced somewhat more from the speaker).

A very clear context here:

SAFETY NEEDS NO APOLOGY During my years in the construction and the industrial business, I have heard some managers and supervisors apologize for safety by saying...

It is about the fifth result down for a "needs no apology" Google search, and is from a book called 'Accident Prevention and OSHA Compliance', by Patrick A. Michaud.

BTW, the Dave's example sounds odd - one has to have felt almost compelled to apologize for something before one can decide that actually it needs no apology, and why would the very existence of this website call for an apology in the first place?

[donnach]

Nothing underlying my example --- I just don't know what it means. Simple as that. I read "needs no apologies" in reference to a private school yesterday.

[donnach]

By the way, is "cogitate" a word that is out of favor, or not appropriate, or rive gauche or something?

Thanks,

Donna

[fluffyhamster]

Well, invented examples often won't make much sense, especially if you don't know what the phrase that you're trying to use/exemplify means - you end up like a student mixing and matching items to just produce "grammatical" sentences. The best thing to do then obviously is find genuine examples that make sense, which is what I did - although I sort of "knew" what the phrase meant, I would've been hard-pressed to come up with convincing examples and thus explanations off the top of my head.

I didn't think you meant anything by your example, but others might have.

Oh, and I have nothing against cogitation (the process itself), but I must admit I don't see the word that often. I guess it might bring to mind agitated cognitive/"mental" (in)digestion or something.

[donnach]

I read about cogitate in a Grammar Girl column:

"Its a lost cause irregardless of what Squiggly and myself cogitate about the matter*....*That's a grammar joke. I tried to write the most incorrect sentence possible to show that I was depressed."

Then, in a column that followed thereafter:

"First, for those of you who didn't listen all the way to the end of last week's show and were outraged that I used the words irregardless and cogitate; it was a joke; although apparently some of you didn't think it was very funny."


I understand about "irregardless", but what is wrong with "cogitate"?

Thanks,

Donna

[donnach]

I think the problem for me is the 'noun' needs no apologies clause. On the other hand, 'doing or saying X' needs no apologies is easier for me to understand, even obvious. The example that brought me to question the saying was: St. Benedictine needs no apologies. It's a line in the opening paragraph of a short story, and so it may be that it's a set up for a situation that will reveal itself later. Until then, I will assume that some people think St. Benedictine has done something wrong, but in the narrator's opinion at least, that criticism is unfounded and St. Benedictine has no reason to apologize. It has nothing to do with apologizing to St. Benedictine!
I did want clarification on what the phrase means - thank you!

Donna

[fluffyhamster]

Re the original question, my brother suggested the paraphrase 'needs no justification'. That spurred me to come up with the following examples:

Madonna's love needs not be justified.
This text needs no justifying; Have you justified that document yet?
etc.

The Fluffyhamster English Course (FEC!), stuffed full of great, illuminating examples, is nearing completion!