Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me!

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#204018 - 01/03/12 04:36 PM Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me!
AlphanumericName stranger Registered: 01/03/12 Posts: 8	Hello, So I need help to settle something once and for all. Over the holidays a friend and myself casually started a conversation about the meaning of Double Entendre and one of us compared it to Euphemism and so the Holiday Debate of 2011 began. It is still raging on to say the least and I find myself not wanting to give up my argument. Here's the dealy-o, One say Double Entendre is NOT the same as Euphemism or even related to the same idea. The other says they are related and are similar if not the same. The one claims they are similar because Euphemism is in the "see also" section of Double Entendre Wikipedia page. Also there's this: http://www.amazon.com/Double-Entendre-Daily-euphemistic-calendar/dp/1456551426 So if anyone is interested in shedding some light on this it would be greatly appreciated. I didn't mentioned who thought what to avoid any bias. So Thank you in advance and can't wait to hear your answers.
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#204019 - 01/03/12 06:20 PM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: AlphanumericName]
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13654	They're related in that they both convey some slightly taboo meaning with cleaned up language. A euphemism would be something like darn for damn or heck for hell. A double entrendre would be saying something that sounds innocent but is really meant as a sexual suggestion. There are other uses for double entendre that aren't sexual in nature. Wikipedia has a good section on Double Entendre.
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#204021 - 01/03/12 07:30 PM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: Faldage]
tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10463 Loc: this too shall pass	that's the wiki article our interlocutor calls out for the "see also" connection; but many of those connections are very, very loose, including this one. (see, e.g., coincidence, pun, spoonerism) in answer to the question posed in the OP, I'd side with the NOT the same!
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#204023 - 01/03/12 07:36 PM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: tsuwm]
Candy Pooh-Bah Registered: 09/21/10 Posts: 1705 Loc: down under	In a way...I think they are opposites. euphemism are used to replace words that might offend in some way
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#204027 - 01/03/12 10:04 PM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: AlphanumericName]
Jackie Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11578 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky	No. No. Not the same thing at all, except very occasionally, and that's usually due to coincidence.
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#204030 - 01/04/12 12:03 AM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: Jackie]
Candy Pooh-Bah Registered: 09/21/10 Posts: 1705 Loc: down under	So far I count 3 against them being the same and one non committal (not including the original post)
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#204032 - 01/04/12 12:15 AM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: Candy]
Tromboniator addict Registered: 05/10/10 Posts: 690 Loc: Alaska	"It takes a lot of brass to play all those trombones in a dorm at 3:00 AM." Double entendre, no euphemism.
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#204035 - 01/04/12 01:06 AM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: AlphanumericName]
AlphanumericName stranger Registered: 01/03/12 Posts: 8	Well I appreciate all the answers, I really do. Now to sort of defend or rather explain my point. I still understand it this way: euphemism and double entendre is the action of replacing the original meaning of a phrase/word with another phrase/word. For what I gather from these answers the actual use may differ but the action of replacing words is still there. Not to mention that the literal meaning of double entendre is "double understanding" or double meaning, which I think euphemisms qualify on this merit. This is how I relate them to one another, is that still incorrect? By the way thanks a bunch for your answers. Sirs you are gentlemen and scholars. Edited by AlphanumericName (01/04/12 01:08 AM)
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#204036 - 01/04/12 01:12 AM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: Tromboniator]
AlphanumericName stranger Registered: 01/03/12 Posts: 8	Originally Posted By: Tromboniator "It takes a lot of brass to play all those trombones in a dorm at 3:00 AM." Double entendre, no euphemism. Isn't brass a euphemism for something else, such as "It takes a lot of balls..." But you replace it with 'brass' as to not offend, which is what euphemisms are.
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#204038 - 01/04/12 08:09 AM Re: Euphemism/Double Entendre - Help Me! [Re: AlphanumericName]
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13654	Originally Posted By: AlphanumericName Originally Posted By: Tromboniator "It takes a lot of brass to play all those trombones in a dorm at 3:00 AM." Double entendre, no euphemism. Isn't brass a euphemism for something else, such as "It takes a lot of balls..." But you replace it with 'brass' as to not offend, which is what euphemisms are. Balls isn't being used in a literal sense so brass isn't really being used as a euphemism for balls. Even in something like, "It takes a lot of nerve ..." nerve isn't being used in a literal sense. These are all being used metaphorically. If they had been talking about any of a number of sports games, using balls could be considered double entendre. The fact that they were talking about a brass instrument makes the use of brass the double entendre but it's not really a euphemism.
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