What is an innuendo?
An innuendo is an indirect way to say something impolite, dirty, or critical. On the surface, an innuendo sounds like an innocent or polite statement. In reality, the statement is referring to someone or something indirectly (often in a suggestive or disparaging way) without mentioning them outright. In this way, innuendos are a safe and socially acceptable way to be critical, flirtatious, funny, or just plain mean (in writing or when speaking). Innuendos are primarily used to describe something immoral, inappropriate, or negative. The dirtiness or taboo nature of the subject of the innuendo is what makes them so popular or humorous to use.
Types of Innuendoes (with Examples)
Sexual innuendos These are probably the most common type of innuendos because sexual topics are often taboo in polite conversation (and there are so many slang terms and pop culture references for sexual acts that they’re easy to come up with). Here are a few examples (you’ve probably heard remarks that sound like these before): “Jim and Jessica sure are spending a lot of time together.” (“Spending time together” alludes to having a physical relationship.) “You know what they say about men with big feet.” (The speaker intentionally doesn’t specify “what they say” to reference a pop culture idea that having big feet correlates to having large genitalia.)
Accidental innuendos These are exactly what they sound like. A writer or speaker uses a phrase that’s meant to be innocent or direct, but has an unintentional extra layer of meaning. Whether someone recognizes an accidental innuendo depends on their knowledge of slang and pop culture references, euphemisms, or double entendres. Here are some examples: “Those melons were so good.” (“Melons” is a slang term or euphemism for breasts.) “In this icebreaker exercise, we’re going to pass a clap around the circle.” (“The clap” is slang for the STD gonorrhea and a “circle” could refer to a social group.)
Innocent innuendos These innuendos seem accidental, but are included intentionally for a humorous effect. They typically start with a suggestive play on words like a double entendre, but are followed up by a clarification that reinforces the “innocent” meaning. The author or speaker is pulling a “gotcha!” joke on their audience, like they’re saying “Haha, I made you think something dirty!” For example: “The two of them finally got it on. That fitted sheet is too small!” (“Getting it on” is a euphemism for having sex, but it turns out the speaker is referring to a fitted sheet.) “He took a dump…and turned it into a really swanky house!” (“Taking a dump” is slang for defecating, but can also refer to a dilapidated or damaged house.)
Political innuendos A politician, critic of the government, or other institution might use an innuendo to say how they really feel about certain policies or political candidates without voicing their support or disagreement directly. These innuendos can be used to attack opponents or portray the speaker or writer in a positive light, and their meaning often depends on the political context they’re operating within. For example: “I will bring civility and order to our town.” (The speaker is indirectly implying that the current government or people in charge are uncivil and disorderly without mentioning them directly.) “Some believe that trickle-down economics really works. We’ve heard that nonsense before.” (The speaker is implying that their political opponent supports an ineffective economic policy without mentioning them by name.)
Nonverbal innuendoes Some innuendos rely on physical cues like winking, hand gestures, raising your eyebrows, or looking at a certain person or object to hint at their underlying message. In some cases, changing the tone of your voice can also be considered a nonverbal cue for an innuendo. Whether these innuendos land depends on cultural interpretation of body language, though (for example, a thumbs up can be a positive gesture in one country but a rude one in another). Here’s an example: Say you’re mad at a friend for lying to you but don’t want to broadcast it to a whole room of people. You might say “I would never lie to a friend” and look over at your friend who was dishonest. There’s nothing especially innuendo-y about the words you said, but your physical gesture adds an unspoken emphasis that hints your friend would lie.
Innuendo Examples from Literature & Pop Culture
Literary example: 1984 by George Orwell In the following passage, a sinister innuendo implies that it is the character Winston Smith’s job to rewrite accounts of certain events to make The Party look better. The Party uses innuendo to make their goal of revising history seem less malicious. The passage says: “Even the written instructions which Winston received, and which he invariably got rid of as soon as he had dealt with them, never stated or implied that an act of forgery was to be committed: always the reference was to slips, errors, misprints, or misquotations which it was necessary to put right in the interests of accuracy.” However, it’s clear that Winston knows that he’s not “correcting” errors or misprints, but creating errors intentionally.
Pop culture example: The movie Shrek (2001) The character Lord Farquaad is notoriously short. When the main character Shrek sees Farquaad’s extravagant and enormous castle, he asks “Do you think he's compensating for something?” as an innuendo to imply that the castle is very tall to make up for Farquaad’s short height. This light innuendo is appropriate for the movie’s child audience, but also contains another layer adult viewers can appreciate. In modern popular culture, men are stereotypically thought to compensate for small genitalia with big and opulent homes, large and expensive cars, or other giant luxuries. So, Shrek’s innuendo is a 2-in-1 quip about Farquaad’s size in multiple aspects.
Why do people use innuendos?
Innuendos let you express something inappropriate without consequences. Essentially, an innuendo is a way for you to express your opinion or make a judgment without crossing boundaries that could get you into trouble; it’s like a hack for being rude without being rude. For example, you might use a flirty innuendo to show your interest in someone at a gathering without saying anything sexually explicit or offending nearby people who could overhear you. Similarly, you could publish a suggestive or accusatory innuendo about a government or other institution without criticizing them directly, possibly sparing you some consequences. Innuendos are a way to get around the limits of “polite” or acceptable discourse. However, you may still get in trouble sometimes if many people around you understand the innuendo. Important: Using an innuendo doesn’t make rude or suggestive comments less offensive or mean. If someone sees through it, they could still be just as offended or hurt as if you insulted them directly.
In literature, authors use innuendos to soften their message. Lots of fiction works use literary devices like metaphors and innuendos to convey an underlying message or point in a delicate, artistic way (rather than stating it directly or in an overbearing way). This adds to the imagery and personality of the writing and gives readers the chance to think about and interpret the text or the author’s intentions themselves. However, not all authors like to use innuendo all of the time. Some argue that certain points or ideas should be stated directly to get stronger reactions from readers.
Writing an Innuendo
Decide what you want to hint at in a humorous or subtle way. What is it that you want to describe without saying it directly? Innuendos typically refer to something impolite, bawdy, or taboo, but this can depend on your intended audience. What’s casual and appropriate for one person might be edgy and innuendo-worthy for someone else. Let’s say you want to talk about how your dog went to the bathroom on your kitchen floor. This is now the object of your innuendo.
Think of an innocent-sounding phrase that hints at the deeper meaning. Here’s where your creativity comes into play. What’s a word, phrase, or expression that seems unrelated to the object of your innuendo, but could reasonably be interpreted as one? If the object of your innuendo is your dog leaving a turd on the kitchen floor, you could say the dog “left a surprise” or “brought you a gift.” Here, “left a surprise or gift” is an innuendo for “pooped on the floor.” The full innuendo might go like this: “Hey Brad! The dog just left us a gift on the kitchen floor.”
Emphasize the hinting phrase with your word choice or delivery. For example, you could raise your eyebrows or wink after you say “The dog just left us a gift on the kitchen floor” to imply that you’re speaking rhetorically. Speaking with a testy or exasperated tone could also imply that the “gift” is something negative, too. Another way to signal an innuendo is to use a followup phrase like “...if you know what I mean” or “...if you catch my drift” to let the other person know you’re not speaking literally. For example: While raising your eyebrows in disgust, you might say, “The dog just left us a gift on the kitchen floor if you know what I mean.” How much you emphasize the hint depends on how subtle you want to be (or not). An obvious emphasis will clue in most people that you’re speaking in innuendo, while a dry or subtle delivery will make it harder to figure out. When should you use an innuendo? Save innuendos for casual conversations, secret ideas, creative writing, or entertainment like movies, TV, or music with hidden meanings. Since the subject is often dirty or taboo, avoid using them in formal or professional writing and conversation.
Related Literary Terms
Euphemism A euphemism is a palatable word or phrase used in place of an inappropriate or unpleasant word to avoid saying something offensive or vulgar. For example, you might say your video game character “kicked the bucket” instead of “died” since talking about death may be uncomfortable for some. Here, “kicked the bucket” is a euphemism for “died.” Euphemisms are more direct than innuendos and try to downplay negativity instead of leaning into it. In the above example, it’s widely understood that “kick the bucket” is a more innocent way of saying “died” (you don’t have to read between the lines to know what the person is saying). An innuendo for a video game character dying might be “My video game character is taking a break.” (“Taking a break” indirectly refers to dying in a tongue-in-cheek way.)
Double entendre A double entendre is a word or phrase that has two meanings or interpretations, with one of them usually being risqué. For example, a construction worker might ask a coworker to “grip the pole tight.” The literal meaning of the phrase is innocent and refers to construction, while the second meaning can be interpreted to allude to a sexual act. A double entendre is like a specific type of innuendo. As a literary device, an innuendo is more broad than a double entendre; you can use any word or phrase to indirectly talk about something else. A double entendre is specifically one word or phrase that has two different meanings and requires less intense interpretation. If the coworker had responded with “I know how to do that” when asked to grip a pole, their response would be an innuendo (there’s no double or sexual interpretation of “I know how to do that” by itself).
Using “Innuendo” in a Sentence
Use “innuendo” or “innuendos” (plural) as nouns in sentences. Use “innuendo” to refer to someone’s specific statement or insinuation, or to refer to the rhetorical device of innuendo generally. Here are a few examples of “innuendo” in a sentence: “Their journalism is full of smears and innuendos.” “Derek is known to make a cheeky innuendo now and then, but lately he’s just been hostile.” “It’s a fun book, but it’s full of innuendo that makes it a little tricky to understand at first.”
“Innuendo” Etymology
“Innuendo” comes from the Latin verb innuere (“to nod to”). More generally, innuere is translated as “to mean” or “to signify.” The word “innuendo” entered the English language in the 1650s as a legal phrase referring to explanatory or parenthetical clauses in legal documents. In libel cases, these parentheticals often contained the derogatory or defamatory statements made against the plaintiff. It’s believed that this use of legal innuendos led to the broader, more rhetorical meaning we think of today.
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