double entendre

WOTD – 27 October 2008    

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From French double (“double”) + entendre (“to mean, to understand”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /dubl ɑ̃tɑ̃ːdɹ/,X-SAMPA: /dubl A~tA~:dr\/
• (UK, Anglicised) IPA: /dʌb.əl ɒnˈtɒndɹə/, X-SAMPA: /dVb.@l Qn"tQndtr\@/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

double entendre (plural double entendres)

1. (idiomatic) A phrase that has two meanings, especially where one is innocent and literal, the other risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo.
2. (nonstandard) Plural form of double entendre
   • 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.

Synonyms

• (phrase with two meanings): double entente

Related terms

• single entendre

Translations

phrase with two meanings

• Catalan: doble sentit (ca) m
• Czech: dvojsmysl (cs) m
• Finnish: kaksimielisyys (fi)
• French: double sens (fr) m , équivoque (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: adianoeta (adianoeta)

• Italian: doppio senso (it) m
• Portuguese: duplo sentido (pt) m
• Spanish: doble sentido (es) m, albur (es) m (Mexico and Dominican Republic)

References