double entendre

See also: double-entendre

English

WOTD – 27 October 2008

Etymology

Pseudo-Gallicism, from French double (“double”) + entendre (“to mean, to understand”). (The phrase is unused and ungrammatical in French. The second word, an infinitive in French, may be a corruption of the noun entente.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dubl ɑ̃tɑ̃ːdɹ/
• IPA^(key): /dʌbəl ɒnˈtɒndɹə/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (AU):

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Noun

Template:examples-right double entendre (plural double entendres or (nonstandard) double entendre)

1. (idiomatic) A phrase that has two meanings, especially where one is innocent and literal, the other risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo.
   • 1812, A treatise on politeness, tr. from the French by a lady, page 172

     Avoid all equivocal expressions, usually denominated double entendre; they are certain proofs of a mean and indelicate mind.

   • 1891, Paulist Fathers, Catholic World, page 785:

     It is a momentous crusade without the cross; and an insidious one, for the calumnies and double entendre against the church are well wrapped up and keenly distributed.

   • 2000, James P. Lantolf, Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning, page 126:

     It is not only the teacher's play with single words, phrases, and double entendre that are common in my classroom data.

Related terms

• single entendre
• equivocation
• wordplay

Translations

phrase with two meanings

• Catalan: doble sentit m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雙關語／双关语 (zh) (shuāngguānyǔ), 双关语 (zh) (shuāngguānyǔ)

• Czech: dvojsmysl m
• Danish: tvetydighed (da) c
• Finnish: kaksimielisyys (fi)
• French: double sens (fr) m, équivoque (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: kétértelműség (hu), kétértelmű/félreérthető kifejezés
• Italian: doppio senso m
• Japanese: ダブル・ミーニング (daburu mīningu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tvetydighet (no) m or f, dobbelttydighet m or f

• Portuguese: duplo sentido m
• Russian: двусмы́сленность (ru) f (dvusmýslennostʹ)
• Spanish: doble sentido m, albur (es) m (Mexico and Dominican Republic)