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"Your wife. Is she a... a goer? Eh? Know what I mean?"
—Arthur Nudge, Monty Python's Flying Circus
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A character, after delivering a Double Entendre, adds a remark to their statement to ensure that the audience spots the hidden meaning.
Typical phrases used for this purpose include:
- "...if you know what I mean." Which can be expanded with: "...and I think you do."
- "...so to speak."
- "That's What She Said!"
- "Hee hee, I said '<double entendre>'"
- Adding a deliberately obvious "wink, wink" or "nudge" after the statement
See also Don't Explain the Joke and That's What She Said. Has a distinct familiarity with Does This Remind You of Anything? and Intercourse with You. If the person being talked to still doesn't get it, see Entendre Failure.
NOTE: This trope is about pointing out a Double Entendre. If you find a double entendre sinkholed to this article or one of its former titles, remove the sinkhole.
Anime & Manga[]
- The dark anime Paranoia Agent was not without its humor:
Maniwa: For women like her, who subconsciously act repressed, you have to have patience and delicacy. Like peeling a ripe apple. |
Comic Books[]
- Finbarr Saunders of the controversial "adult" comic Viz was a parody of this. He would react to any even marginally suggestive line with spluttered laughs ( written 'Fnarr fnarr') eyeball rolling, nudges ('Eh? Eh?'), and silly catchphrases ('As the actress said to the bishop'), but would put innocent interpretations on the words of his mother and Mr Gimlet the lodger as they went off to have sex.
Mrs. S: How about a little shag, Mr Gimlet? |
Fan Fic[]
- Those Lacking Spines, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic, uses the term "...you know" to describe a certain male body part the members of Organization XIII were in danger of losing... if you know what I mean.
Films — Live-Action[]
- Subverted in the film Baseketball, in which Baxter Cain repeatedly utters this line, but each time is referring to the purely literal meaning of the Double Entendre, rather than the lewd one.
Baxter: My hallway could use a good...buffing, if you know what I mean... |
- The murder-mystery spoof Murder By Death:
Twain: No, don't look at each other! Look at me! I?m the greatest! I'm number one! |
- In the third Spider Man movie with Eddie Brock/Venom and Mary Jane
Venom: Oooh, my spider sense is tingling... if you know what I'm talking about. |
- In the film version of Harry Potter, Cormac McLaggen asks Ron if he can introduce him to Hermione, stating "I'd like to get to know her on a first name basis, know what I mean?"
- In Shelter, Jeanne is concerned because her brother Zach has been surfing with Shaun, who's gay. She talks to Zach about it, saying: "I don't think that he's the best guy to be hanging out with all day half naked, if you know what I mean."
- Easy A:
Rosemary Penderghast: No, your father is as straight as they come. A little too straight, if you know what I mean, girlfriend. |
"I got a date. Couple "models" comin' to my place. You know what I mean?" |
- Scotty's smarmy talk about the Enterprise in Star Trek (2009) qualifies as a Nudge:
Scotty: So, the Enterprise has had its maiden voyage, has it? She is one well-endowed lady. I'd like to get my hands on her "ample nacelles," if you pardon the engineering parlance... |
Loach: What happened to your nose, Gittes? Somebody slammed a bedroom window on it? |
Literature[]
- "As the actress said to the bishop" is actually the Catch Phrase of the Gentleman Thief, The Saint. Occasionally he turned it around, using "...as the bishop said to the actress."
- Oddly, since the author is American, in Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, one character an android Jonas is fond of inserting "as x said to y" comments in his speech, although unlike most examples, they don't always have a bawdy connotation.
- Nanny Ogg quite often used double entendres (though, as the books note, hers were single entendres and proud of it.)
"Just twist the first thing you can grab", as the High Priest said to the vestal virgin. |
- Nanny Ogg's actions are occasionally described like this. For example, she often likes to sing about how fortunate the hedgehog is compared to an unbelievable number of other animals. While doing humorous gestures ...
- Sam Weller of The Pickwick Papers has a Catch Phrase of "Wellerisms", all of which are of the "As the X said to the Y" type.
- Total in Maximum Ride says this in the 5th book.
"Gotta go. Timmy's in the well. If you know what I mean."
—Total, before walking away with Akila.
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Live Action TV[]
- Rampant in the Stargate Universe episode Seizure when discussing the applications of virtual interaction.
- The "Nudge, Nudge" sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus is, as the quote above indicates, one of the most famous examples of this gag.
- The Frantics' "Dirty Words" sketch, in which a man does this with neutral words from newspaper headlines.
Dirty Words Man: Areas! That's not a dirty word. |
- It is if you're a Bowie fan. Then again, that's Area. There can be only one!
- Also if you're an Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan (also acceptable: region, store)
- On Friends it was a running gag that when Joey said something raunchy, he'd follow up with an explanation in case the others didn't catch his meaning, which they always did. Once he said, "If you know what I mean," to which Monica replied, "Joey? We always know what you mean."
- In an earlier episode the Friends were comparing sex to a concert, comparing foreplay to a comedian, and penetration as the band. The women say that they should bring back the comedian for a second go a bit more often otherwise they might just end up listening to the album of the band instead. Joey responds with: "...We're still talking about sex, right?"
- Chandler seeing Rachel's boss led to this exchange.
Chandler: She's not just the boss in your office...if you know what I mean. |
- Frasier gives us this exchange:
Niles: How long have you known her? |
- A game on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, using the original trope name, is devoted to Lampshaded Double Entendre jokes. It features the performers turning every single line into a double entendre by ending every sentence with, "If you know what I mean." The game's comedic value comes from the players thinking up ever more elaborate metaphors, often going to the point where they don't make any sense eg. the infamous: "Can I help you fluff your Garfield?"
- If you think that last one doesn't make any sense, try saying it to a woman. What conclusion do you think she'll come to?
- This game was occasionally subverted by Colin Mochrie, with lines like "No, I don't know what you mean," or "I'm going to go to the bathroom." The other members would simply react in mock disgust when it came to subverting. In contrast to Colin Mochrie, Brad Sherwood was a stand-out in this game.
- As Tom Lehrer put it (heh) in the song Smut, When correctly viewed, everything is lewd!
- In an episode of News Radio, Bill hastily informs Dave of Lisa's potential sexual endeavors using a euphemism. Dave, who was no longer dating Lisa, doesn't have a strong reaction to the news, which causes Bill and Mr. James to assume he didn't catch the euphemism:
Bill: You know what that means, don't you? |
- In Scrubs, The Todd, who commonly uses the Double Entendre, will also use more obvious references, such as the classic "That's what she said!" or when a character (usually female) mentions they're looking for something, he'll pop up and say "I got your [object sought for] right here!" and motion to his crotch. He'll also explain his references from time to time.
- The Todd has even turned the word "innuendo" into a double entendre by saying it as "inYOURendo".
- His "I'd like to double her entendre" line.
- Michael Scott, of the US version of The Office, frequently adds "that's what she said" to statements. In the episode Dunder Mifflin Infinity, it was revealed that he keeps a list of things he can say just to be able to add those four words.
Pam: "That job looks hard." "You should put your mouth on that." How can you even use that one naturally? |
- As noted above, "If you know what I mean, and I think you do." is the catch-phrase of famed drive-in film critic and monster-movie show host Joe Bob Briggs, who wasn't allowed to describe most of the events of the movies he reviewed in his original position as a newspaper film critic.
- House provides an inversion when a physical therapist orders Dr. House to use a quad cane:
Cameron: Nice cane. |
- Similarly...
House: Dr. Cuddy! LOVE the outfit! Says "I'm professional, but I'm still a woman." Actually, it kinda yells that second part. |
- And possible one of the crowning examples...
House (handing cane to intern): Here, hold my metaphor for a second. |
- Also:
Cameron: Where do you put your cane? |
- House likes this trope a lot.
- On Titus, Chris Titus's special brother Dave once had a sequence where he repeatedly mades direct references to sex, ending each line with "If you know what I mean!". Like "Sorry we're late me and Nancy were having sex in the car, if you know what I mean", and "That's time you could have spent having sex with Erin if you know what I mean" Chris: "We've all cracked your little code, Dave."
- On Night Court, when Dan catches Bull in a hotel room with his little sister:
Dan Fielding: "You guys didn't sleep together did you?" |
- Running Gag on The Tick: Batmanuel says "if you know what I'm saying" and The Tick replies "Nope."
- April Rhodes to Will on Glee: "Divorce? So you're free to date? And by date, I mean sleep with people, and by sleep with I mean have sex with people, people like ME!"
- Invoked on an episode of BeastMaster.
- King Zad: Every Terron warrior will have a priceless horn!...so to speak.
- On Absolutely Fabulous, Patsy is quite fond of this type of joke--as well as laughing at her own jokes. The best example is probably: "The only thing that got him up in the night was his bladder. D'you get it, Ed? D'you get it? The only thing he got UP for, was to have a slash." (From "Fat")
- From the Doctor Who episode "The Time of Angels": "Ooh, Doctor, you sonic-ed her!"
- Also the repeated references to 'dancing' in "The Empty Child"/The Doctor Dances.
- And in The Impossible Astronaut we have "I'm quite the screamer... now there's a spoiler for you."
- Jon Stewart: "That's right, Biden! I just said you ride the Amtrak, if you know what I mean!" *pause for laughter* "I don't know what that means."
- A rather odd example cropped up in Castle, where there was no Double Entendre in the first place:
Castle: I bet, as we speak, in this hospital, two doctors are in a breakroom... doing it. And by "it", I mean... |
- ALF occasionally alludes to Kate and Willy's love life in roundabout ways. At least once he'd claim to leave the two of them alone so they can, well, "wink wink nudge nudge".
- In one episode, when Lynn comes back from a date, he asks, "How did you two make out?", laughing suggestively. Willie and Kate are disgusted.
- Lampshaded in one episode of Cybill. Cybill plays the part of a mother in an ad for something called "Femigel", which is supposed to help women with "you know what I mean".
- Community:
Chang: "And then she said "screw you!" or "screw education!" or something like that and stormed out of the room in her high-heeled boots like it was tampon time. If you know what I mean." |
- Twin Peaks, which features David Duchovny as a cross-dressing FBI agent, has said agent deliver one of these to Cooper:
Dennis/Denise Bryson: More importantly, who is that girl? |
- Tara did this in the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It wasn't quite a remark, but the "wink wink, nudge nudge" look she gave Willow when singing "I can feel you inside" erased any possibility that this might have been some kind of metaphor.
- The entire episode "What Sexual Harris Meant" of Dinosaurs was rife with these - all coming from the character's mouth.
- In "The Dogs of War," the second-to-last episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Zek tells Quark in a comm transmission "I'm retiring. Your mother and I are moving to Risa to enjoy our old age and do a lot of (static), if you know I mean. Quark's response? "Good for you, I guess."
- Fist of Fun's "Four Horsemen waiting for the apocalypse" sketch has Pestilence working as a milkman. One of his customers tells the camera "Although he's a bit odd looking, I know lots of housewives around here would love to get their hands on his extra pinta, if you know what I mean. [[[Beat]]] I mean his cock."
Music[]
- "Physical"
- "Love Sex Magic" by Ciara.
"So let me drive my body around you / I bet you know what I mean" |
- Likewise, "Shut Up And Drive" by Rihanna.
"Got you where you wanna go, if you know what I mean |
- Spinal Tap has a song called "Big Bottom," where a few blindingly obvious Double Entendres are punctuated with "You Know What I Mean!"
- Stephen Lynch's song "If I Were Gay".
"It's not that I don't care; I do / I just don't see myself in you / Another time, another scene / I'd be right behind you, if you know what I mean! |
- Peaches, when she bothers with double entendres instead of single ones.
- "'Cause I wanna take you downtown/Show you my thing..."
- "Don't you know it's supposed to feel better for boys..."
- Right Said Fred, "I'm Too Sexy."
"I'm a model, you know what I mean..." |
- "Oh Yeah" by Yello.
- ACDC: "See me ride out of the sunset, on your colour TV screen. Up for all that I can get, if you know what I mean." -T.N.T
- The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There":
"Well she was just seventeen / You know what I mean" |
- Reportedly, this was unintentional: Paul McCartney just thought the original ("never a beauty queen") was a Painful Rhyme.
- And from "I Want to Hold Your Hand" there is this phrase which lead many people to believe that 'handholding' was a metaphor for something... saucier:
"Yeah you've got that somethin/ |
- Wolfmother's "Woman" "She's a woman, (If)YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"
- "I'd Rather Be Lucky" by Brad Johner:
"And your girlfriend can't keep her hands off you / If you know what I mean" |
- Ingrid Michaelson's "You and I"
"Maybe I wanna do what bunnies do with you/ If you know what I mean." |
- Tone Loc's "Wild Thing":
"Took her to the hotel/ She said, 'You're the king?'/ I said, 'Be my queen, if you know what I mean, and let us do the wild thing!'" |
- Mountain's "Mississippi Queen"
"Mississippi queen, if you know what I mean" |
- Legendary Bluesman Robert Johnson muttered a sly: "You know what I'm talkin' about" after the line: "You can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice runs down my leg". The line was later appropriated by Led Zeppelin in "The Lemon Song"
New Media[]
- Subverted in Reading Right To Left, when describing the female leads of One Piece:
Y Ruler of Time: "They're pretty well-developed If You Know What I Mean... And I mean that they're very interesting and rich characters with complex back stories that make them both entertaining and interesting to read about." |
- Played Straight later on when referring to the female leads of "Bleach".
Newspaper Comics[]
- My Cage features a strip were Norm mentions to Rex that even though he wasn't able get a dinner reservation he and Bridget still have "plans" for the night (complete with ribbing and winking)
- Rex correctly guesses that said "plans" are eating mac and cheese in front of Heroes
Theater[]
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street contains the following discussion of what to do with a dead body. Note that the script manages to use "if you get it" as a non-sexual double-entendre:
Mrs. Lovett: Think of it as thrift, as a gift, if you get my drift! |
- The introduction to one translation of Aristophanes' plays gives an example of the difficulties a translator faces: jokes were made about people from the island of Salamis, because they had to row to the mainland, and the ancient Greek word for 'row' had a double meaning. Since modern audiences wouldn't pick up on this, the translators had to add an Lampshaded Double Entendre: "She's from Salamis, need I say more?"
Video Games[]
- Speaking of "Wink wink nudge nudge say no more" one of the Might and Magic games went just a few steps farther, with a thieves guild saying "wink wink nudge nudge casual looks and glances, need I say more, know what I mean know what I mean?"
- Shenmue: "Sailors, Well, I always see them near bars. Well, you know what I mean. I just see them hanging out. Most of them are pretty big, so you can't miss them. Umm, I heard that there's a bar where sailors hang out, but I don't know the place because I never wanted to go to such a bar, you know. It's best to stick to your regular drinking hole, if you know what I mean." I am very afraid that I do know what you mean, Komine.
- SNK VS Capcom: SVC Chaos. Mai Shiranui vs. Earthquake.
Mai: Yikes! Now that is one obese belly! |
- In Dragon Age you have option to say "If you know what I mean" while romancing Alistair.
- So... have you ever licked a lamppost in winter?
- And the Warden's follow up option for both genders: "Why yes, I've licked my fair share of lampposts, and then some." Leaves Alistair gobsmacked.
- A side conversation between Alistair and Oghren has them going back and forth about "polishing their weapons." Hilariously, while one of them is saying it in the lampshaded way, the other just means polishing his weapon, with the conversation ending with:
- So... have you ever licked a lamppost in winter?
Alistair: Wait, what are you talking about? |
- In MadWorld, the Black Baron (stop staring) is fond of saying "if you know what I mean" (probably closer to "y'knaw I mean?") after his usually innuendo-laden introductions to the Bloodbath Challenges.
- Issun of Okami just loves this trope. (Un)fortunately, they go completely over the head of the main target, the busty priestess Rao. (As it turns out, there's a very good reason for that...)
- While not used in a sexual manner, the Onion Knight in Dissidia Final Fantasy uses this phrase in a way that can SO easily be taken out of context:
Onion Knight: I've got something they don't, right here[2], if you know what I mean! |
- In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Aqua meets up with Phil and Hercules. Phil immediately offers to train Aqua and Herc complains about that he had to beg Phil to be his trainer. Phil responds... Just see for yourself
- A Kingdom of Loathing item-of-the-month was the naughty origami set, which could be folded and refolded to different items with the message, "You unfold the pieces of paper, if you know what I mean." All of them were sleaze elemental. The riding crop added the 'Innuendo Shopping' effect, which appends "heh heh heh", "if you know what I mean" or "wink wink, nudge nudge" to your chat messages.
- The thief Narlen in Baldur's Gate says this:
Narlen: Swiped the Duchess' knickers once...if you know what I mean! |
Web Comics[]
- Xkcd
- Used when xkcd explains the base system. The listener doesn't know what she means, and quite frankly, no one else does either.
- Penny Arcade uses this a lot, but in particular exemplified by their recurring newscaster, Randy Pinkwood (whose name in its own right is not so much a Double Entendre as a two single ones).
"I don't know whether she was serious [about Communism], but she certainly seized the means of production, if you know what I'm talking about. And I think you know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about my penis." |
- Stuff Sucks had this. "I think she wants to be his buddy. (short pause) His sex buddy. (short pause) If you know what I mean."
- Outside Interference: The following conversation, after Kate explains to Hollie about her broken arm:
Kate: Sucks, though, 'cause now I have to do everything left-handed. |
- VG Cats: This sort of thing is Leo's modus operandi.
- Played with here in Mountain Time, as it's hard to be sure if we really know what he means. It's not hard to make an educated guess, though.
- Webcomics written by members of the United States Air Force, such as Air Force Blues and Crew Dogs, often feature jokes revolving around the frequent real-life use of the catchphrase "so to speak" following any off-color double entendre (intentional or otherwise) by Air Force personnel.
- Ansem Retort: After Axel and Zexion fuse into Andrew Jackson to kill the werepire Hhere, Namine requires some Brain Bleach courtesy of Aerith.
Namine: Do we need an exposition here? |
- From Sluggy Freelance:
- Elan doesn't know what you mean.
- Cyanide and Happiness has this gem:
Boy, I'd love to take her out to dinner. And by "take her out to dinner" I mean dunk the donut. And by "dunk the donut" I mean have sex with her. And by "have sex with her" I mean use my penis on her. And by "penis" I mean staple remover. And by "staple" I mean virginity. |
Web Original[]
- Mike Mozart just loves making cracks at toys that look more sexual than they appear.
- Red vs. Blue has Tucker and his catchphrase "bow-chika-bow-wow!" He'll say it in response to himself or someone else.
- Youtube Poop has used Hotel Mario's line "Get the hint?" for various purposes ranging from very subtle to completely blatant.
- Me and My Dick uses these a lot.
- "The Gmod Idiot Box episode 7's "Extenze" scene:
Woman: What've you got there, honey? |
- The Nostalgia Chick does a lot of this kind of humor but none so often than in her review of Labyrinth. All hail the crotch!
- This meme.
- Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog
"The Hammer is my penis." |
Western Animation[]
- Beavis and Butthead would go into hysterics over any use of the word "wood", "hard", or the like. You can imagine the conversations they had in the movie when they visited the petrified forest.
- Family Guy occasionally features characters wandering completely off subject to point out a double entendre to anyone nearby (such as the fact that the lead character's name is "Peter"). And let's not forget this exchange when Peter and Brian are assembling a crib:
Brian: Okay, now just insert support rod "A" into slot "B". |
- Or for that matter....
Quagmire [matter of fact, after a string of Innocent Innuendo comments from Lois]: That one is also sexual. |
- Spoofed in one episode, where Peter is helping Death get a date. Peter remarks "You might even, you know..." and then proceeds to perform a series of seemingly random, nonsensical motions including breakdance moves. After he finishes, Death says "I don't follow" and Peter (still bent over from one of the dance moves), responds "Intercourse."
- King of the Hill once featured a (villainous, as far as the show has villains) character who would insert, "That's what she said" in response to anything that could even remotely be considered a Double Entendre.
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Bloo tells Mac that one of the games going on during a wild house party is "Ring around the Rosey, if you know what I mean".
Mac: Not... really. |
- A conjoined trope with Parental Bonus.
- Pick a Phil Ken Sebben scene in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. "Ha ha! Dangly parts!", "Ha ha! Not to Scale!", "Ha ha! Multiple entendre." etc...
- Black Vulcan's constant habit of appending every double entendre with "In my/his pants."
- Clone High's JFK provides us with many such examples, in addition to the page quote.
- "Some of us are trying to nail Catharine the Great. Or should I say 'Catharine the SO-SO!'"
- "Don't worry, Cleo. I can help you stay up all night long. Notice how I accentuated the words "up" and "long". Now let's bone up for the PXJT test. Guess what the P stands for? PENIS!"
- But then, JFK always feels the need to explain the joke flat out, even when completely obvious. His ego simply requires him to brag about his sexual exploits.
- The Simpsons episode "The New Kid on the Block" subverts the subversion:
Ruth Powers: Well, I know what you're thinking, and the answer is yes. I want to be fixed up with one of your friends as soon as you can arrange it. After all, Homer, I do have the normal... appetites. |
- "All's Fair In Oven War":
James Caan: Hey Bart, me and Mrs. Krabappel are gonna go play some backgammon, if you know what I mean. |
- Animaniacs: Any time a double entendre comes up in the dialog of the show, Yakko would say "Good night everybody!", generally drawing attention to it for those in the know (children probably still didn't get it).
- Futurama episode "Spanish Fry" has Bender being semi-dedicated to this trope yelling several from off camera, complete with 'WHOOO!', not surprising given that the show is about aliens attempting to harvest Fry's "lower horn" as a potential aphrodisiac.
Fry: Look, normally I'm the first guy to toot his own lower horn... |
- and later that episode:
Lrrr: Mmm, this jerked chicken is good. I think I'll have Fry's lower horn jerked. |
- and not to forget:
Fry: I never thought I'd escape with my doodle but i pulled it out! |
- The DVD commentary notes that Bender is shouting these comments from offscreen in several cases because they just kept adding more in to lampshade all the entendres.
- In one episode of the 2010 Pound Puppies:
Squirt: It's like they say, "You scratch my belly, I scratch yours." Now excuse me while I take a nap. I've been, uh, scratching a lot of bellies, if you know what I mean. |
- In The Venture Brothers, Dean is stricken with acute testicular torsion. Billy Quizboy performs surgery on his groin, and when Dean awakens from the anesthesia:
Billy: You're good as new - maybe even better. I hooked you up with "the complete package", if you know what I mean! |
- In Adventure Time, the gang was just finished defeating a deer and saving the candy people when Princess Bubblegum said this to Finn:
Princess Bubblegum: He was after our sugar, but I didn't give him any.... if you know what I mean. (clicks teeth twice) |
Real Life[]
- American anthropologist Clifford Geertz actually pulled off several academic double entendres in his 1972 book, The Intepretation of Cultures. In chapter 15, which is all about cockfighting in Bali, Geertz makes an obvious double entendre, and lampshades it by saying that the double entendre is entirely intentional in Balinese culture. He then seemingly proceeds to pepper in as many cock-based double entendres as he can. For example, on page 418:
But the intimacy of men with their cocks is more than metaphorical. Balinese men ... spend an enormous amount of time with their favorites, grooming them, feeding them, discussing them ... or just gazing at them with a mixture of rapt admiration and dreamy self-absorption. |
- ↑ See here ...goddamn it.
- ↑ He's pointing to his head, befitting his role in the story as an Insufferable Genius