triple entendre
- noun
- /ˈtrɪpəl ɒ̃tɑ̃ːdʁ/
- Literature
:
triple sentido
- Her song uses a subtle triple entendre to comment on politics, romance, and freedom all at once.
It's still good because he's still saying crazy shit, crazy cadences, double triple entendres.
- It's still good because he's still saying crazy shit, crazy cadences, double triple entendres.
Examples
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The comedian's joke was a masterful triple entendre that left the audience laughing and thinking.
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Critics praised the novel for its clever use of triple entendre throughout the dialogue.
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That's a clever triple entendre!
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The phrase was a clever triple entendre that left everyone confused.
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Critics praised the novel for its clever use of triple entendre throughout the dialogue.
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Her song uses a subtle triple entendre to comment on politics, romance, and freedom all at once.
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The comedian's joke was a masterful triple entendre that left the audience laughing and thinking.
Synonyms
2
5.5
To make a joke using the different meanings of a word or words that sound the same
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a phrase with three distinct meanings' is directly and compositionally derived from 'triple' (threefold) combined with 'entendre' (meaning/interpretation). This follows the same transparent pattern as 'double entendre' and would be readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Triple entendre brings together triple, which means three, and entendre, and it grew from the earlier double entendre, a short phrase that hides two meanings. Imagine a line like three hidden doors: one plain meaning, one cheeky meaning, and a clever third meaning, so 'triple entendre' means 'a phrase with three meanings' used in jokes, stories, and songs.