Original artwork, not a still
So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish · 1984
"You'll have to excuse me," said Arthur. "I'm terribly happy."
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Arthur asks to be excused for being happy, as though happiness called for an apology. Pairing the polite formula with 'terribly' makes the emotion sound almost improper. The humour lies in presenting a welcome feeling through language usually associated with an inconvenience or fault.
Context reviewed
