What is the meaning and usage of 許せ?


Is 許せ【ゆるせ】 something that's said? I heard from a friend that it is used to
mean forgive me, but I find the use of the imperative in such a way to be
strange.




It is not strange at all. It appears to me that many Japanese-learners let the
translated English words bother them too much. Then again, the same happens
when we Japanese learn foreign languages as well.

許せ is very often used in informal speech among close friends as a sort of
"tough-guy speech". It is heard most often from young male speakers. Using the
politer forms can only sound out of place in certain situations, and I really
do not think it is a Japan-only phenomenon.

