Have you ever said something that, on the surface, means one thing, but is actually meant to imply something else? Maybe you’ve been in a conversation where something was insinuated instead of said directly. Or perhaps you heard an insult that was more implied than it was obvious. It’s then possible you have come across innuendo, a funny word that can be used for both comedic and risque purposes. But what is a innuendo, what does innuendo mean, how can you identify it, and what are some examples?
Innuendo Meaning
Defining ‘Innuendo’
We’ll start with a basic innuendo definition, which should easily lay out what it is, following examples later on. It should probably be mentioned early on that innuendo is similar to double entendre, but not exactly the same. In short, double entendre deliberately has double meaning, while innuendo more or less has one indirect meaning. Though it should also be said that plenty of examples of accidental innuendo do exist.
INNUENDO DEFINITION
What is a innuendo?
Innuendo is a remark, phrase, statement, or question that has a risque or derogatory meaning towards someone or something. Innuendos can be playful or insulting, and are often sexual in nature, which can be seen in cases where being direct would be inappropriate (or less amusing).
Innuendo characteristics:
- Insinuating something about someone indirectly.
- Saying something crass in a way only a few would understand.
- Someone saying something that, out of context, comes off very differently than intended.
Related Posts
Innuendo Examples
Examples of Innuendo
An article about innuendo would not work if it did not provide examples, so here we’re going to shower you with them, for there are plenty of examples of innuendo, both intentional and unintentional.
We’ll start with an example from real life, which comes from a news broadcast in the UK. Since it’s so short, we’ll let it speak for itself.
What is a innuendo • News broadcast
In the case of a show like Animaniacs, innuendo was a huge part of the comedy. Probably because of its self-referential humor, this show managed to cram a decent amount of jokes that would very easily fly over the heads of younger audiences while landing easily with adults. You can check out this compilation video below that features plenty of innuendo examples.
Define innuendo • Animaniacs
As you can see, innuendo is easy to put into children’s cartoons due to these jokes being (fairly) indirect. Even though Animaniacs is from the early 1990s, this type of humor didn’t stop. As you can see in the video below, Gravity Falls kept this tradition going, with a decent amount of innuendo (mixed with more direct gags) to arguably appease audiences of all ages.
What is a innuendo • Gravity Falls
Now it’s time for specific examples from children’s cartoons, like this one from SpongeBob SquarePants. Unlike most innuendo, this one shows it rather than says it, other than SpongeBob’s denial to his pet snail Gary that he was not watching something lewd (“I was just looking for the sports channel, Gary”). The music used in the scene also helps push the idea that he’s watching something not appropriate for kids.
What is a innuendo • SpongeBob SquarePants
There is also this classic moment from hit (and sometimes risque) cartoon Ed, Edd n Eddy, where Eddy finds a magazine under Ed’s pillow titled “Chicks Galore”. Adults would definitely get what that’s supposed to mean, which makes the punchline that much more funny (or unsettling, depending on how you look at it). The sound effects used in this scene are the icing on the metaphorical cake.
What is a innuendo • Ed, Edd n Eddy
If you want a good example from a movie series, look no further than Shrek. One of the biggest animated franchises of the last two decades, Shrek owes a lot of its success to widespread appeal to children and adults alike. This, of course, is helped by jokes that very likely go over the heads of children and straight into the noggins of adults.
What is a innuendo • Shrek
But of course, not all innuendo is intentional, which leads us to accidental innuendo. There is no shortage of accidental innuendo examples, but the Star Wars series manages to have a decent amount of them, as seen in the short video below.
What is an innuendo • Star Wars
Possibly the king of accidental innuendo comes in the form of Tobias Fünke from Arrested Development. The compilation below is made almost entirely of innuendo, with some characters and even Tobias himself reacting to his unique manner of wording things.
What is a innuendo • Arrested Development
We’ll end on a personal favorite video of the writer that has innuendo right in the title. In under two minutes, you’ll see all kinds of examples of (sexual) innuendo in this very silly video starring sock puppets.
What is a innuendo • YouTube
By this point you should have a clear idea of what innuendo is and how it works. It can be a fun thing to add into your script and to have your characters say, though it might depend on your intended audiences, as well as the mood of the story you’re telling.
Up Next
What is Subtext?
Now that we’ve covered innuendo, why not look at examples of subtext? Our article covers this literary device with plenty of examples from popular cinema, along with ways that you can implement it in your next script.
