Double Entendre
A word or phrase that carries two meanings, one of them often risqué.
A double entendre is a deliberate ambiguity in which a word or phrase has a plain, innocent sense and a second, usually suggestive or ironic sense. The phrase comes from the French double entente, 'double understanding,' though the French themselves say double sens.
The form thrives in comedy, innuendo, and political satire because it lets a speaker say two things at once and deny the bolder one if challenged. A double entendre is not merely a pun; it is a pun with a social guardrail, a meaning that can be retracted.
Its effectiveness depends on shared knowledge. If the listener does not recognise the second meaning, the line collapses into its literal surface. If the listener does, the line becomes a conspiratorial wink.
Common mistake: writing a double entendre so crude that the first meaning is no longer plausible. The best ones keep both meanings alive.
“Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.”
Keep reading the glossary
A clever, often spontaneous remark that delivers humour through verbal ingenuity.
A gap between what is said and what is meant — or between expectation and outcome.
A figure in which one word governs two or more others in different senses — often for wit or surprise.
The rhetorical name for the pun — a play on words that exploits sound similarity or multiple meanings.