Double entendre is a literary device in which an expression can be understood in two ways: with its literal meaning or with an implicit meaning.
For example: The bus was very small, we traveled like sardines in a can . In this case, the expression “sardines in a can” refers to the fact that the passengers traveled very tightly.
It is a clever device for expressing irony (e.g., in jokes ) or metaphors (e.g., in poetry ).
- See also: Literal sense and figurative sense
Examples of sentences with double meaning
- Juan lives in the clouds, never takes notes in class, and then I have to explain everything to him. (living in the clouds: daydreaming, not paying attention, distracted)
- The house was in disarray, so I stayed up late cleaning. (upside down: very messy)
- Come on, get your feet on the ground. We don’t have the money to go on vacation to Europe. (Get your feet on the ground: stop fantasizing.)
- As soon as they called me from school to tell me my son had been hurt, I took off. (take off: go urgently, at high speed)
- It was always right in front of my nose, and I never realized it was a Picasso. (right in front of my nose: in plain sight).
- Since he’s such a good student, I turned a blind eyeto his behavior these past few weeks and gave him a 10 on his report card. (to turn a blind eye: to overlook something)
- I don’t give a damnif you do well on exams if you’re not a good partner. (I don’t give a damn: it’s not transcendental, it’s unimportant)
- I got a five in math, I’m an idiot. (to be an idiot: to be unintelligent)
- I was in a cloud of Valenciaduring the entire documentary, so I don’t know what it’s about. (being in a cloud of Valencia: being distracted, absent-minded)
- Go fry some churros, we’re working here. (to send someone to fry some churros: to throw someone out of a place in a bad way)
- As always, my boss is nitpickingat my projects. (nitpicking: looking for insignificant details to discuss)
- As you can see, my neighbor doesn’t have all her ducks in a row. (not having one’s ducks in a row: saying or doing things without reason)
- I was worryingall weekend about today’s exam. (to worry: to be worried)
- Juan already has a position on the matter and he’s not going to change it. Don’t waste your gunpowder on chimangos, because he’ll continue to hold his position. (waste your gunpowder on chimangos: to make an effort in vain)
- I suggest you hold off on commenting until you’ve heard the other side of the story. (to hear the other side of the story: to listen to the other side of the story)
- As soon as we went to the bar’s bathroom, my friend’s boyfriend threw a smoke bomband went to sleep. (throw a smoke bomb: slip away, vanish)
- My heart brokewhen I heard the news. (to break one’s heart: to feel very strong emotional pain)
- That politician is inconsistent. He barely started the campaign when he flipped outand supported the same candidate he’d been criticizing months before. (to flip out: to radically change one’s position)
