present company excepted
idiom
formal
—used to say that a person or persons present is/are not included in a general statement one has just made about a group or class of people
I don't like lawyers—present company excepted, of course!
Cite this Entry
“Present company excepted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/present%20company%20excepted. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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