My Apologies

The phrase 'my apologies', sounds weird to me. I know it means, 'I am offering you my apologies' (without actually saying sorry), but the phrase itself, and the austere tone people tend to take when employing it, creates a different picture in my mind. First of all, 'my apologies' is almost always sarcastic. Second of all, the statement itself evokes the image of a man standing in front of a big curtain in formal wear, announcing to the crowd, 'Ladies and Gentlemen! I present to you...my apologies!' And then he pulls on a rope, the curtain drops, and there they are--all of his apologies--swimming around in, like, a big aquarium or something.

Or, I don't know. Maybe it's just me.