Daily Dialogue theme next week: Double Entendre

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The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Double Entendre.

What exactly is a double entendre? Per Wikipedia:

A double entendre is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first (more obvious) meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué, inappropriate, or ironic.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a double entendre as especially being used to “convey an indelicate meaning”. It is often used to express potentially offensive opinions without the risks of explicitly doing so.

A double entendre may exploit puns to convey the second meaning. Double entendres tend to rely more on multiple meanings of words, or different interpretations of the same primary meaning; they often exploit ambiguity and may be used to introduce it deliberately in a text. Sometimes using a homophone (i.e. a different spelling that yields the same pronunciation) can sometimes be used as a pun as well as a “double entendre” of the subject.

As in the 1997 James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies:

So let’s have it: A week’s worth of double entendres, sly twists of language that say one thing in the text, but can mean quite another in subtext. Click Write a response and post your recommendations there.

What to do:

• Copy/paste dialogue from IMDb Quotes or some other transcript source.
• Copy/paste the URL of an accompanying video from YouTube or some other video source.
• Any trivia about the movie which you think would be of interest to readers, we always welcome that.

I’d also ask you to think about why the dialogue is notable. Is there anything about the dialogue which provides some takeaway related to the craft of writing? If so, feel free to share your Dialogue On Dialogue.

Consecutive days of Daily Dialogue posts: 3,649.

Be a part of the proud Daily Dialogue tradition, post a suggestion in a RESPONSE, and have your name emblazoned on a blog post which will forever hold a hallowed spot in the Go Into The Story archives!

Upcoming schedule of themes:

May 21-May 27: Aaron Sorkin
May 28-June 3: Alien
June 4-June 10: Combat
June 11-June 17: Billy Wilder
June 18-June 24: Heist
June 25-July 1: Bank

If you have any suggestions for Daily Dialogue themes, please post them in a RESPONSE and I’ll be happy to consider them for the series.

Be sure to post your ideas for this week’s theme: Double Entendres.

Continued thanks to all of you Daily Dialogue devotees, and your suggested dialogue and dialogue themes. Grateful for your ongoing support!