from the mail bag

[Laurence Horn]

On Sep 12, 2011, at 4:09 PM, victor steinbok wrote:

> Yes, "innocent"--I meant no "obscene" implication.
>
> VS-)

I see the OED currently (still) has (for "double entendre") 'A double meaning; a word or phrase having a double sense, esp. as used to convey an indelicate meaning', and AHD has something similar, ending in 'especially risqué'.  Perhaps the non-use of "double-entendre" for innocent double meanings has itself fallen victim to taboo avoidance.

LH

>
> On Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 3:05 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:
>
>>
>> On Sep 12, 2011, at 2:06 AM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 10:11 PM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> double entendre: We are building insurance around you.(R)
>>>
>>> Uh, I don't get it, even under the assumption that "double-entendre"
>>> is exaggeration for effect.
>>>
>>
>> If "double-entendre" is just French for 'pun' (after all, puns do literally
>> involve two meanings) rather than the narrowed sense it usually has, i.e.
>> 'pun with one obscene meaning that often involves a double-take on the
>> hearer/reader's part', it qualifies:
>>
>> We are [building insurance] around you  ("building" as what we're now
>> calling a nounadjective, compound stress)
>> We [are building] insurance around you  ("building" as a verb, no compound)
>>
>> Interesting that "double entendre" has become hard to understand as an
>> intentional but "innocent" play on words.
>>
>> LH
>>
>>> --
>>> -Wilson
>>
>
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