entendre
Hidden second meaning
An entendre is a meaning or interpretation, almost always encountered in the phrase double entendre—a word or expression with two meanings, one of them typically sexual or risqué.
The term comes from French, though modern French doesn't use it this way.
Outside the set phrase, entendre appears only in wordplay: That's not a double entendre; it's a triple entendre.
Wordplay using double meanings
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- suggestiveHinting at impropriety
- risquéBordering on improper
quip · wink · nudge · sly · coy · flirtation · naughty · provocative
Perception or judgment
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- significanceQuality of mattering
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
- denotationWord's explicit dictionary meaning
nuance · semantics · implication · understanding · definition · context · gist · essence
pun
Wordplay using double meanings
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- suggestiveHinting at impropriety
risqué · quip · wink · nudge · sly · coy · flirtation · naughty · provocative · lewd
sense
Perception or judgment
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- significanceQuality of mattering
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
denotation · nuance · semantics · implication · understanding · definition · context · gist · essence · substance
entendreliteral meaning
Exact, non-figurative interpretation
plain speech · bluntness · candor · transparency · explicit language
- double entendrePhrase with hidden lewdness
- triple entendreThree-way verbal ambiguity