We've all been there. You've had a long day, you're a bit under the weather, and you say something racist. Or sexist. Or homophobic.
This week two people confessed they had found themselves in such a pickle.
First, Nigel Farage said he had been "tired out" when he said there was a "difference" between having German and Romanian neighbours in a car crash interview on LBC.
And then on Tuesday, tennis commentator John Inverdale told Radio Times he was suffering from hayfever when he criticised Wimbledon Champion Marion Bartoli's looks on air, saying she was "never going to be a looker".
But they aren't the first public figures to blame a number of different ailments for getting them in a tongue-twist.
Here's six of the best ones, and judge for yourselves if you buy their excuses.
Best Excuses
John Inverdale (01 of06)
Open Image ModalJust after the 2013 Women's Wimbledon final, the commentator quipped that champion Marion Bartoli was "never going to be a looker".His excuse? "I had terrible hay fever and all I could think of was that I wanted to go home to bed," he said. (credit:Getty Images)
Nigel Farage(02 of06)
Open Image ModalThe UKIP leader was asked what the difference was between having a group of Romanian men or German children as neighbours."You know what the difference is," Farage murmured in response.He blamed being "completely tired out"."I didn't use the form of words in response that I would have liked to have used," he told ITV. (credit:PA)
Hillary Clinton(03 of06)
Open Image ModalClinton told a thrilling tale during the 2008 election campaign about a trip to Bosnia, where she said she had to run from her plane due to the threat of sniper fire. But video footage showed she had strolled casually to her waiting vehicle, not even wearing a helmet.Her excuse? She just totally couldn't remember whether a sniper shot at her or not."I didn't say that in my book or other times but if I said something that made it seem as though there was actual fire - that's not what I was told," she said when probed on the issue. (credit:Getty Images)
Rhys Ifans(04 of06)
Open Image ModalThe Welsh actor blamed a bad reaction to antibiotics for storming out of a interview, declaring he was bored, and telling Times journalist to “f*** off”. Ifans had “really enjoyed” the conversation, his publicist insisted afterwards.Turner described it as a “horrible, almost menacing encounter”. (credit:Getty Images)
John Galliano(05 of06)
Open Image ModalThe designer blamed an addiction to Valium for his anti-Semitic rant in a Paris cafe, when he slurred at two customers 'people like you would be gassed'.Galliano was promptly fired from his role at Dior.It was his "workload" that led to abuse of Valium, Ambien and antidepressants, he told the French court in 2011. He was fined for the offence. (credit:AP)
Mitt Romney(06 of06)
Open Image ModalThe presidential candidate told CNN during the 2012 campaign that he was "not concerned about the very poor". "I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95% of Americans who right now are struggling," he continued.But of course, Romney just "misspoke". But he didn't necessarily retract the meaning. "I've said something that is similar to that but quite acceptable for a long time," he said after the furore. (credit:AP)