There was a deadline to submit an application. But I could not submit due to holiday in our institute and again unavilability of official staffs after the holidays. So I would like to write a letter expressing all these problem in a very short sentense. For example "I could not attend the meeting due to some unavoaidable circumstances."
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1due to extenuating circumstances. although it doesn't literally imply that the circumstances were unavoidable, it is heavily implied. (BTW, you shouldn't consider yourself fully absolved because they might say there was something really exceptional you could have done to prevent this outcome)– faustusMar 23, 2017 at 4:24
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2 Answers
The expression force majeure conveys the concept of something that is not under your control and you are not responsible for:
- an event or effect that may be considered impossible to control or anticipate.
The Free Dictionary
- I could not attend the meeting due to force majeure.
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Can I say as "I could not submit the application before deadline due to some force majeure"?– KayAug 28, 2015 at 6:24
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Force majeure connotes compulsion, unavoidability, or unpredictability, or any combination thereof. This hardly seems applicable to staff absences due to holidays.– deadratAug 28, 2015 at 6:26
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@deadrat it connotes events that are not under your control or that you are not responsible for, whatever the reason. The fact that the staff was not available after the holidays ( something you are not supposed to know) may represent such event.– user66974Aug 28, 2015 at 6:29
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@Josh61, I would like to expree the excuse to consider my application. I had given the example "I could not attend the meeting" to make more clear.– KayAug 28, 2015 at 6:32
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@Josh61 Here it is from M-W: 1. superior or irresistible force 2. an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled. If the application is important, it would have been easy enough for the applicant to check the deadline. I think force majeure is overkill for being ignorant of an organization's procedures. YMMV.– deadratAug 28, 2015 at 6:38
I could not attend the meeting due to circumstances beyond my control
is the way I see people expressing this idea. (It's not as strong as force majeure, which in my experience is usually reserved for things like hurricanes or earthquakes.)
answered Aug 29, 2015 at 22:45
