From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishif you’ll pardon the expressionif you’ll pardon the expressionspokenSORRY/APOLOGIZE used when you are saying that you are sorry for using an impolite phrase It was a bit of a cock-up, if you’ll pardon the expression. → pardon
Examples from the Corpus
if you’ll pardon the expression• It's time that guy got off his ass, if you'll pardon the expression. 