Who said charmed im sure

A warm greeting used upon being introduced someone. It is most often used in the context of a highly formal situation. That would explain why it was considered humorous when a gum-snapping dame like Gert Mills used it in an attempt to appear more sophisticated.

And, more often, we have characters using the phrase in an attempt to appear more sophisticated than they are. I used it today on a bus to a woman who accused me of deliberately nudging her with my guitar case. I had not the faintest idea where I got that from so had to come here to find out. It defused the situation though.

In my head, I can only hear it being said in one of two ways: 1. By someone who is trying to sound much posher and more refined than they actually are. In a very condescending tone of voice - meaning that the person is not really charmed at all it's a cultural thing - if an English person is ever hyper-polite to you, it almost certainly means that they are actually being very rude Anyway, it is Miss Miller who is charmed, but whether she means it or not depends on context.

Of course, others may see it differently from me! Toput est dans le ton. Thanks DrD, this is what I was looking for. I'm still really puzzled by the fact that someone would start a greeting with "I'm sure", what a weird custom. No problem - I really can't imagine anyone saying it these day, although perhaps it depends where you're from.

The answer from "Urban Dictionary": Charmed, I'm sure. A warm greeting used upon being introduced someone. It's wrong though. It's not warm, it's extremely stilted and formal, and I can't imagine anyone saying it these days unless they were being condescending, like DrD said. In fact, I doubt there was ever a time when this phrase was especially "warm". Having to add "I'm sure", does the opposite of what it seems to do. If you were really charmed, you would not have to insist about it.

Last edited: Sep 14, Urban dic says: A warm greeting used upon being introduced someone. Almost any greeting can, if delivered in the right tone. The straight meaning, though, is positive. As has been said, any phrase, including this one, can be used with a tone of snark.

Old movies probably used it often in a sarcastic sense to comedically show that the character was sarcastic and possibly also to lampoon more formal strata of society. I only remember it from White Christmas. The actress, character, setting and her voice made me think they were making fun of her. This fancy living is all so unfamiliar and exciting to me! I guess I could believe that. It was in use by , when British culture was moving toward excessively phrased civility, especially by the new middle class.

In American culture that cuts two ways. American manners were heavily influenced by British custom, and the 19th century was also a time here when the middle class started to grow and to imitate the manners of the upper crust. So you had people who truly were trying to be polite and proper as they understood it.