People
"You'll have to excuse me," said Arthur. "I'm terribly happy."
— Douglas Adams · So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial 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