Double entendre

"Entendre" redirects here. For the American rapper formerly known as Entendre, see Cordae.

Lodgings to Let, an 1814 engraving featuring a double entendre.
He: "My sweet honey, I hope you are to be let with the Lodgins!"
She: "No, sir, I am to be let alone".

A double entendre[note 1] (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacceptable, or offensive to state directly.[2][3]

A double entendre may exploit puns or word play to convey the second meaning. Double entendres generally rely on multiple meanings of words, or different interpretations of the same primary meaning. They often exploit ambiguity and may be used to introduce it deliberately in a text. Sometimes a homophone can be used as a pun. When three or more meanings have been constructed, this is known as a "triple entendre", etc.[4]

  1. ^ "Definition of Double Entendre". Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Double Entendre | Meaning & Definition for UK English | Lexico.com". Lexico.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English online". Dictionary of Contemporary English. Longman. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Double Entendre - Examples and Definition". Literary Devices. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2021.


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