A double entendre or innuendo is a figure of speech similar to the pun, in which a spoken phrase can be understood in either of two ways. The first, literal meaning is an innocent one, while the second meaning is often risqué and requires the hearer to have some additional knowledge. Although a French term, the French generally say double entente or double sens for such phrases. A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetorical figure or device, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. ... A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a deliberate confusion of similar-sounding words or phrases for comic or serious effect. ... A phrase is a group of words that functions as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. ...

Scholars of the Bible have suggested that the prologue to the Gospel of John in which Jesus is called "the Word" (λογος, Logos in Greek) makes creative use of a double entendre to communicate to both Jews and Hellenists, especially followers of Philo. Each of these two people groups had its own history associated with the concept of the Logos, and each could understand John's use of the term from one or both of those contexts. A scholar is either a student or someone who has achieved a mastery of some academic discipline. ... The Bible (From Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material), is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... A prologue (Greek πρόλογος, from προ~, pro~ - fore~, and lógos, word), or rarely prolog, is a prefatory piece of writing, usually composed to introduce a drama. ... The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the sequence of the canon as printed in the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written. ... The neutrality and accuracy of this article are disputed. ... The Greek λόγος or logos means word. Logos was used by Heraclitus, one of the more eminent Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers, to describe human knowledge and the inherent order in the universe, a background to the essential change which characterizes day-to-day life. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... Philo (20 BCE - 40 CE) was an Alexandrian Jewish philosopher born in Alexandria, Egypt. ...

Most double entendres in popular usage are sexual in nature. The following sentence illustrates, "A woman walked into a bar and asked for a double entendre, so the barman gave it to her." The sentence could mean either that the barman gave her an example, or that he had sexual intercourse with her.

When innuendo is used in a sentence, it could go completely undetected by someone who was not familiar with the hidden meaning, and he or she would find nothing odd about the sentence (aside from other people finding it humorous for seemingly no reason). Perhaps due to the fact that innuendo is not considered offensive to those who do not "get" the hidden implication, it is often prevalent in sitcoms and other comedy which would in fact be considered suitable for children. Children would find this comedy funny, but because most children lack understanding of the hidden implication in innuendo, they would find it funny for a completely different reason to most adult viewers. A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Comedy is the use of humour in the performing arts. ...

In the British comic book Viz there runs a cartoon strip entitled "Finbarr Saunders and his Double Entendres", about a youngster who enjoys double entendres. Immediately after hearing someone crack a double entendre, Finbarr knowingly sniggers "Fnarr fnarr!". "Fnarr" has since become a popular exclamation in the UK. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Viz is a popular British adult spoof comic magazine. ... Finbarr Saunders is a comic strip in the British comic book VIZ. It is about a boy (Finbarr) who is always listening in on conversations (often between his divorced mother and their neighbour, Mr. ...

Similarly, the cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-head frequently note double entendres of the most trivial kind with such comments as, "huh-huh, he said wood; huh-huh". He says this after the voiceover at the petrified forest exhibit says "You're probably wondering: How could wood get so hard?" Beavis (right) and Butt-head Beavis and Butt-head is an animated comedy show that aired on US TV station MTV from 1993 to 1997. ...

Another classic double entendre is the title of The Bellamy Brothers' song If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?, "it" referring to either the statement or the body in question.

British comedy

Sexual innuendo is common in British sitcoms and radio comedy such as I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. For example, in Are You Being Served?, Mrs. Slocombe makes frequent references to her "pussy", such as "It's a wonder I'm here at all, you know. My pussy got soakin' wet. I had to dry it out in front of the fire before I left." A child might find this statement funny simply because of the references to her pussy cat, whereas an adult would detect the innuendo (pussy is sexual slang for vagina). A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in the United Kingdom. ... Radio comedy, or comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve sitcom elements, sketches or any other form of comedy found on other mediums. ... Im Sorry I Havent A Clue, often abbreviated to the initialism ISIHAC, is a radio comedy programme which has been broadcast several times annually on BBC Radio 4 from April 11, 1972 to the present. ... Are You Being Served? was a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus Schreber, 1775 The cat (also called domestic cat or house cat) is a small feline carnivorous mammal. ... Pussy is both a vulgar word referring to the vulva and vagina, and a slang synonym for cat, a permanent double entendre. ... Sexual slang is any slang term which makes reference to sex, the sexual organs, or matters closely related to them. ... Human female internal reproductive anatomy The vagina (from the Latin for sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female mammals, or to the cloaca in female birds and some reptiles. ...

Innuendos were not only used in modern times - they have existed since Shakespearean times. Indeed, Sir Toby in "Twelfth Night" is seen saying, in reference to Sir Andrew's hair, that "it hangs like flax on a distaff; and I (Sir Toby) hope to see a housewife take thee (Sir Andrew) between her legs and spin it off."

Attitudes to this kind of humour have changed enormously since the 19th century. In the Victorian theatre, innuendo was considered unpleasant, particularly for the ladies in the audience, and was not allowed. In the Music Hall, on the other hand, innuendo was in constant use in songs. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Victorian morality applies not only to the moral views of people living at the time of Queen Victoria (reigned 1837 - 1903), but also to the general moral climate of Britain throughout the 19th century and to anybody who adopts similar moral opinions. ... Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ...

In the 20th century there began to be a bit of a crackdown on lewdness, including some prosecutions. It was the job of the Lord Chamberlain to examine the scripts of all plays for decency. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the royal household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the great offices of state. ...

Nevertheless, some comedians still continued to get away with it. Max Miller, famously, had two books of jokes, a white book and a blue book, and would ask his audience which book they wanted to hear stories from. If they chose the blue book, it was their own choice and he could feel reasonably secure he wasn't offending anyone. Max Miller, the Cheeky Chappie, was a 1930s English music hall comedian famous for his daringly risqué (for the period) repertoire (see Censorship), and gaudy suits. ...

The blue, innuendo type of humour didn't transfer onto radio or cinema at that time, but did eventually filter through from the late 1950s and 60s. In 1968 the office of the Lord Chamberlain ceased to have responsibility for censoring live entertainment. By the 1970s, innuendo had become standard. Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Entertainment is an amusement or diversion intended to hold the attention of an audience or its participants. ... Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution...

See also

• British humour
• Spoonerism