begging to differ

Verb

beg to differ (third-person singular simple present begs to differ, present participle begging to differ, simple past and past participle begged to differ)

1. (idiomatic) To offer an opposing opinion humbly.
   • Thus Lord King asserted, February 28, 1818, "That the whole of what the noble Secretary of State, Lord Liverpool, had said, amounted to this, that the Sinking Fund was only nominal, and had not paid one shilling of the debt." To which Lord Liverpool replied, "He begged to differ with his Lordship...1819, Thomas Broughton, The Cure for Pauperism; or, The Ancient Standards of Value Compared with the Artificial Standards Created by the Paper Currency; with a Plan of an Effectual Measure of...

   Synonyms:

   disagree

2. (idiomatic) To differ (strongly) in interpretation or opinion.
   • Now the pluralists may say that a place where they run up new houses, and pull down old ones, is by no means disqualified for occupation, but he begs to differ from them decidedly.1854 July 1, “Art II.—(1.) Of the Plurality of Worlds: An Essay. London: John W. Parker and Son. 1853. (2.) More Worlds than One, the Creed of the Philosopher, and the Hope of the Christian. By Sir...

   Synonyms:

   disagree