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My colleague and I have different interpretations of what a double entendre can be. I attempted to make my case using the song “when it rains it pours” sung by Luke Combs as an example.

From what I understand the general definition of “Double Entendre” is a word, phrase, or Figure of speech that has two implied meanings, one being straight forward the other being ironic or inappropriate.

In the song he sings about losing his girlfriend and then going on a hot streak of having fun and receiving a bunch of blessings. In the chorus he sings the Proverb “when it rains it pours” which generally means that when a bad thing happens other bad things follow in rapid succession, but in the context of the song he is referring both to breakups being a “rainy day” and he is saying it ironically and flipping the meaning to refer to all the blessings raining down on him.

Would this qualify as being used as a Double Entendre or am I fundamentally misunderstanding what a Double Entendre even is?

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    The origin of this is the Morton Salt Girl. You can look that up. The meaning has changed as regards the aphorism. You can interpret an aphorism as you like as long as your interpretation works. Commented Jan 16, 2024 at 16:50
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    No, that’s not a double entendre. Commented Jan 16, 2024 at 17:47
  • @TinfoilHat The original meaning versus the meaning today in a dictionary constitute two readings. That can be taken as a double meaning, for sure. Commented Jan 16, 2024 at 17:54
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    @Lambie The Morton Salt Girl usage was a deliberate ambiguity as marketing (the other meaning being that Morton Salt can still be poured despite any rain) and does not have the sexual second meaning involved in a double entendre. Commented Jan 16, 2024 at 19:18
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    @Lambie — The Morton Salt slogan is a play on words, and the company is not the originator of the proverb it plays on; the proverb When it rains it pours existed before Morton Salt, and it comes from the 1700s’ It never rains but it pours (unfortunate events occur in quantity). Commented Jan 16, 2024 at 19:26

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A proverb is a statement that expresses some kind of truth or moral in a pithy way, for example 'Haste makes waste'.

A double entendre is a word or sentence that has a second meaning, from a pun or word play, usually (always?) racy or rude. Yes that is ironic or inappropriate but those a secondary - the necessary part to double entendre is the taboo part. For example 'That's what she said' points out that a previous phrase can be reinterpreted in a sexual manner (it is not a double entendre by itself).

So these two concepts are not at all the same, but it is conceivable that a proverb, in a very particular context, might be used as a double entendre. In your example, neither of the two meanings is in the taboo direction so it would not be considered a double entendre.

But if the context it could be interpreted as something a little risqué, for example, 'when it rains it pours' referring to ones number of romantic partners, then it might be considered double entendre.

Most proverbs are fairly anodyne and would need very particular circumstances to be reinterpreted to refer to a taboo meaning.

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    Some references would be good: Merriam-Webster says "one usually risqué", Random House "especially when one meaning is risqué", Wikipedia "the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacceptable, or offensive to state directly". Commented Jan 16, 2024 at 17:23
  • What about the Morton Salt Girl? Commented Jan 16, 2024 at 18:28
  • @Lambie She not racy. A good girl she is, and the salt o' the earth. Commented Jan 18, 2024 at 22:19
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'It never rains but [what] it pours' is a proverb with the meaning you first state. It's almost always used as a metaphor (ie not in the literal sense; rain speaks of misfortune).

Both literal usages and figurative ones can be used antiphrastically (ie with an opposite meaning to the straightforward one).

  • 'What delightful weather.'
  • 'Aren't you bright!'

But a double entendre is supposed to be readable in two ways at the same time, not in just one out of two distinct senses. And often, reading between the lines leads to an intended amusing sexual innuendo.

  • If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me? (lyrics)

But not always:

  • Children make delicious snacks (newspaper headline)

  • Criminals Receive 9 Months in the Violin Case (newspaper headline)

  • New York Jets run out of Fuel (witty headline)

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  • Children/snacks. I didn't know you had it in ya. Commented Jan 18, 2024 at 22:17

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