Avoid all equivocal expressions, usually denominated double entendre; they are certain proofs of a mean and indelicate mind.
Wikipedia foundation.
double entendre — also double entendre, 1670s, from French (where it was rare and is now obsolete), lit. a twofold meaning, from entendre (now entente) to hear, to understand, to mean. The proper Modern French phrase would be double entente, but the phrase has… … Etymology dictionary
Double-entendre — Dou ble en*ten dre, n. [F. double double + entendre to mean. This is a barbarous compound of French words. The true French equivalent is double entente.] A word or expression admitting of a double interpretation, one of which is often obscure or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
double-entendre — [dub΄əl än tän′ drə; do͞o΄blôn tôn′drə] n. 〚Fr (now obs.), double meaning〛 1. a term with two meanings, esp. when one of them has a risqué or indecorous connotation 2. the use of such a term or terms; ambiguity * * * dou·ble en·ten·dre (dŭb əl än … Universalium
double entendre — ► NOUN (pl. double entendres pronunc. same) ▪ a word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually indecent. ORIGIN from obsolete French, double understanding … English terms dictionary
double entendre — means ‘a word or phrase open to two interpretations, one usually risqué or indelicate’. The equivalent term in French is double entente, which is also occasionally used in the same sense in English … Modern English usage
double entendre — [n] play on words ambiguity, amphibiology, double meaning, equivocality, equivocation, equivoque, innuendo, joke, pun, tergiversation; concepts 278,682 … New thesaurus
double-entendre — [dub΄əl än tän′ drə; do͞o΄blôn tôn′drə] n. [Fr (now obs.), double meaning] 1. a term with two meanings, esp. when one of them has a risqué or indecorous connotation 2. the use of such a term or terms; ambiguity … English World dictionary
double entendre — equivocation, *ambiguity, tergiversation … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Double entendre — An 1814 engraving of 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 (French pronunciation: [dublɑ̃tɑ̃dʁə]) or adianoeta[1] is a figure of speech in … Wikipedia
double entendre — [[t]du͟ːb(ə)l ɒntɒ̱ndrə[/t]] double entendres N VAR A double entendre is a word or phrase that has two meanings, one of which is rude and often sexual. He is a master of the pun and the double entendre... He has a fondness for outrageous double… … English dictionary
double entendre — UK [ˌduːb(ə)l ɒnˈtɒndrə] / US [ˌdub(ə)l ɑnˈtɑndrə] noun [countable] Word forms double entendre : singular double entendre plural double entendres a word or phrase that you use deliberately, knowing that it has two meanings, one of which is rude… … English dictionary
