Modern English usage. 2014.
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 — [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
