Innuendo
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Wikipedia-Article "Innuendo"
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For other uses see Innuendo (disambiguation).
An innuendo is a remark or question, typically disparaging, that works obliquely, by allusion. The intention is often to insult or accuse someone in such a way that one's words, taken literally, are innocent. Innuendo can make use of but is by no means restricted to double entendre (note that doubles entendres can be unintentional, while innuendo is always intentional).
When innuendo is used in a sentence, it could go completely undetected by someone who was not familiar with the hidden meaning, and he or she would find nothing odd about the sentence. Perhaps because innuendo is not considered offensive to those who do not "get" the hidden implication, it is often used in sitcoms and other comedy which would otherwise be considered unsuitable for children. Children would find this comedy funny, but because most children lack understanding of the hidden implication in innuendo, they would find it funny for a completely different reason from most adult viewers.
British comedy
Sexual innuendo is common in British sitcoms and radio comedy such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. For example, in Are You Being Served?, Mrs. Slocombe makes frequent references to her "pussy", such as "It's a wonder I'm here at all, you know. My pussy got soakin' wet. I had to dry it out in front of the fire before I left." A child might find this statement funny simply because of the references to her pussy cat, whereas an adult would detect the innuendo (pussy is sexual slang for vagina).
Innuendos were not only used in modern times — they have existed since Shakespearean times. Indeed, Sir Toby in "Twelfth Night" is seen saying, in reference to Sir Andrew's hair, that "it hangs like flax on a distaff; and I (Sir Toby) hope to see a housewife take thee [Sir Andrew] between her legs and spin it off."
Attitudes to this kind of humour have changed enormously since the 19th century. In the Victorian theatre, innuendo was considered unpleasant, particularly for the ladies in the audience, and was not allowed. In the Music Hall, on the other hand, innuendo was in constant use in songs.
In the 20th century there began to be a bit of a crackdown on "lewdness", including some prosecutions. It was the job of the Lord Chamberlain to examine the scripts of all plays for decency.
Nevertheless, some comedians still continued to get away with it. Max Miller, famously, had two books of jokes, a white book and a blue book, and would ask his audience which book they wanted to hear stories from. If they chose the blue book, it was their own choice and he could feel reasonably secure he wasn't offending anyone.
The blue, innuendo type of humour didn't transfer to radio or cinema at that time, but did eventually filter through from the late 1950s and 1960s. In 1968 the office of the Lord Chamberlain ceased to have responsibility for censoring live entertainment. By the 1970s, innuendo had become standard.
U.S. politics
Rumors surfaced during the 1950s that politicians would exploit the ignorance of Southern audiences at campaign stops. George Smathers was reported as having used $10 words like thespian, homo sapiens and matriculation in reference to his political opponent. The joke was that thespian reminds listeners of Lesbian, homo sapiens of homosexual and matriculation of masturbation - all taboo subjects for the polite discourse of the times.
Gershon Legman's Rationale of the Dirty Joke: An Analysis of Sexual Humor {New York: Grove Press, 1968) describes the whole thing as a stunt thought up by bored reporters. [1]