Double Entendre Examples

A double entendre is a word, phrase, or statement that has a double meaning. One of the meanings is clear and straightforward. The other meaning is somewhat hidden, and is also racy or inappropriate.

Examples of Double Entendre from Literature

1. "Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution." Mae West

2. Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (responding to the nurse's question about whether or not it is a good day): "Tis no less, I tell you; for the bawdy hand of the dial is now upon the prick of noon."

3. Odysseus tells the Cyclops in the Odyssey that his name is "Nobody," so when the Cyclops calls for help, he says, "Nobody has hurt me!"

4. In Oliver Twist, there is a character named Master Bates (masturbates).

5. "If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?" The Belamy Brothers

6. From A Midsummer Night's Dream: "But I might see Cupid's fiery shaft quenched in the chaste beams of the watery moon."

7. From Romeo and Juliet: "O, Romeo, that she were, O that she were/an open-arse and thou a popp'rin' pear."