An innuendo [in-yoo-en-doh] is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion. In the latter sense, the intention is often to insult or accuse someone in such a way that one’s words, taken literally, are innocent. It is an indirect remark about somebody or something, usually suggesting something bad, mean or rude. The word is often used to express disapproval.
The term sexual innuendo has acquired a specific meaning, namely that of a ‘risque’ double entendre by playing on a possibly sexual interpretation of an otherwise innocent uttering. For example: ‘We need to go deeper’ can be seen as both a request for further inquiry on any given issue or a request to go deeper into an orifice. Alternatively the more simple changing the pronunciation of a word in order for it to sound vulgar e.g. innuendo to ‘in-your-endo.’




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