triple entendre
Joke working three ways
A triple entendre is a phrase or expression that carries three distinct meanings simultaneously—typically a surface meaning, a secondary implication, and a third layer often sexual or subversive.
The term extends double entendre by adding another level of interpretation: The headline "Tiger Puts Balls in Wrong Hole" works on three levels.
Triple entendres are prized in comedy and songwriting for their layered cleverness, though some claimed examples strain to find a genuine third meaning.
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- wink winkMarker of ironic intent
- nudge nudgeVerbal innuendo marker
- play on wordsExploiting linguistic ambiguity humorously
- witClever, inventive humor
pun · wordplay · homonymy · layered meaning · hidden meaning · between the lines · humor · polysemy · quip · allusion · sarcasm · ambiguity · cleverness · nuance · joke · dirty joke · wisecrack · subtext
triple entendreplain language
Easily understood communication
direct speech · literal meaning · straightforwardness · bluntness · transparency
triple, triplicate, triplication, triplet, triplex, triplicity, triply, entendre, double entendre