double-entendres
Risqué dual meanings
Double-entendres is the plural of double-entendre, a phrase with two meanings—one innocent, one risqué or suggestive.
The humor depends on the listener catching the second, usually sexual interpretation: The comedian's act was full of double-entendres.
Though French in form, the term is rarely used in France; English speakers adopted and kept it.
Oblique disparaging remark
- punWordplay using double meanings
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- witticismClever, amusing remark
- suggestiveHinting at impropriety
risqué · bawdy · cheeky · naughty · tongue-in-cheek · sly · clever · quip
Openness to multiple interpretations
- subtextImplicit meaning beneath words
- layeredHaving multiple levels
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
satire · Shakespeare · Restoration · farce · comedy · dialogue · script · playwright
Word having related meanings
- homophoneIdentically pronounced, differently spelled word
- homonymWord with twin sound
- semanticOf meaning in language
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
denotation · ambiguous · interpretation · meaning · dual · lexical · context · syntax
innuendo
Oblique disparaging remark
suggestive · risqué · bawdy · cheeky · naughty · tongue-in-cheek · sly · clever · quip · jest
ambiguity
Openness to multiple interpretations
irony · satire · Shakespeare · Restoration · farce · comedy · dialogue · script · playwright · Oscar Wilde
polysemy
Word having related meanings
- homophoneIdentically pronounced, differently spelled word
- homonymWord with twin sound
- semanticOf meaning in language
connotation · denotation · ambiguous · interpretation · meaning · dual · lexical · context · syntax · signifier
double, doubles, doubled, doubling, doubly, redouble, redoubled, redoubling, entendre