1 Answer. 1. 1. See this thread and this one for “present company excepted” the older and more common phrase. “Present company included” is intended to be a deliberate reversal of that phrase, it means “the remark does apply to those her in this conversation”.
What’s the meaning of present company excluded?
—used to say that a critical comment one has made about a group of people does not include the person or people one is with Men are such jerks—present company excluded, of course.
What’s the meaning of present company excepted?
formal. —used to say that a person or persons present is/are not included in a general statement one has just made about a group or class of people I don’t like lawyers—present company excepted, of course!