Innuendo
Innuendo is a way of speaking in which the speaker, or writer, hints at something, without actually saying it. Look at the cartoon on the left. This is a rather crude sexual innuendo. A slang term for breasts is jugs.
Advertising often makes use of innuendo, either to convey a sub-text of sexual potency, or for a cheap thrill. Think of the Kelloggs advertisement - "Did you get it all this morning?"
Not all innuendo is sexual, but most of it is. Innuendo can be crude and obvious, as in the cartoon here, or subtle and witty.
Here are some of the techniques used to achieve innuendo.
- By refusing to say something, thereby implying that it is true or false.
eg. "Is Michael clever?"
"His hand-writing is very neat!"
Avoiding the question confirms that he is not clever.
- By using puns. Because a pun is a play on words, a seemingly literal meaning can hint at another meaning.
eg. The English writer Somerset Maugham, who was homosexual, took a lady friend to a party which was attended by many homosexuals. She saw the lights in the garden and said, "O, Mr Maugham, it looks like fairy-land out here!"
A slang term for a homosexual is fairy. Here the innuendo was unintentional. Puns like these which carry heavy innuendoes, are also called double entendre.
Here is an example of an intended pun, hinting at something.
The American actress, Jean Harlowe was speaking to the English Ballerina, Margot Fontaine at a function.
Jean: How do you spell your name again, I can never remember. Is it Margot or Margo?
Margot: The T is silent as in harlot!
This example is witty and clever. A synonym for harlot is prostitute!
- Much stand-up comedy uses innuendo as its main source of humour, as does the farce. Because many comedians are men, and women are often the victims of their jokes, innuendo is, especially when crude, often sexist in nature. Here is an example
My wife and I are going on our holidays next week. I'm going to Spain....! (Suggesting they are going to different places.)
My wife left me for another man. It cost me an arm and a leg!(Implying he paid the man to take his wife.)
Because it is often crass, innuendo is often offensive. The advertisements and cartoons shown here are offered for analysis, and not to cause offense.
Exercise One
Look at the advertisements below, and answer the following questions.
- What is being hinted at?
- How do the visuals support the innuendo?
- Is the innuendo crude and offensive, or do you find it witty and tasteful?
- Is the innuendo sexist?
Exercise Two
Find an advertisement which employs innuendo and stick it in your book/file. What effect does the innuendo have? What is the advertisement hinting at, or suggesting?
