Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Main / DoubleMeaning

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* In a twist, in Tara's song, "Under Your Spell", in the ''Series/Buffy The Vampire Slayer}}'' episode "[[{{Musical Episode}} Once More With Feeling]]", the metaphorical meaning is the more obvious and positive one, about how much she loves Willow, and Willow has brought her out of her shell and introduced her to happiness. However, if the lyrics are taken completely literally, they're about how Willow has been magically manipulating Tara's mind and memories.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
entirely unclear how that\'s a double meaning


** Also after [[spoiler: we see Ted and the Mother onscreen together]], Ted goes up to an innkeeper who then says, "I'm sorry, that took a long time."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** Also in the scene where [[spoiler: we see Ted and the Mother onscreen together]], Ted goes up to an innkeeper who then says, "I'm sorry, that took a long time."

to:

** Also in the scene where after [[spoiler: we see Ted and the Mother onscreen together]], Ted goes up to an innkeeper who then says, "I'm sorry, that took a long time."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** Also in the scene where [[spoiler: we see Ted and the Mother onscreen together]], Ted goes up to an innkeeper who then says, "I'm sorry, that took a long time."

Added: 487

Changed: 37

Removed: 482

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* In ''Film/JasonAndTheArgonauts'', Jason tells a camp's general that he is visiting Thessaly to reclaim his rightful throne from Pelias, who had [[TheUsurper usurped]] it twenty years before. The general tells Jason, "When your father defended his throne, no man fought harder than I." Of course, the general is [[KingIncognito secretly Pelias himself]], so the second meaning is, in a sense, "truer" than the seemingly straightforward one (he fought hard enough to ''win'', after all).



* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians reclaim the greeting (since it was originally the Paschal greeting), placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of the world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.
* ''{{Dune}}''. In the greenhouse room Jessica finds a note from Lady Fenring, a fellow Bene Gesserit. The last line of the message is "On that path lies danger", a secret warning code that there was a hidden message nearby. Jessica finds the hidden message as a series of dots on the underside of a nearby leaf.

to:

* In the ''LeftBehind'' ''Literature/LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians reclaim the greeting (since it was originally the Paschal greeting), placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of the world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.
* ''{{Dune}}''.''Literature/{{Dune}}''. In the greenhouse room Jessica finds a note from Lady Fenring, a fellow Bene Gesserit. The last line of the message is "On that path lies danger", a secret warning code that there was a hidden message nearby. Jessica finds the hidden message as a series of dots on the underside of a nearby leaf.



* In ''JasonAndTheArgonauts'', Jason tells a camp's general that he is visiting Thessaly to reclaim his rightful throne from Pelias, who had [[TheUsurper usurped]] it twenty years before. The general tells Jason, "When your father defended his throne, no man fought harder than I." Of course, the general is [[KingIncognito secretly Pelias himself]], so the second meaning is, in a sense, "truer" than the seemingly straightforward one (he fought hard enough to ''win'', after all).



* ''HowIMetYourMother'': Robin follows her boyfriend Ted to a nightclub and asks the bouncer about him. We are shown the event, in which Ted, who has been acting unlike himself, is flirting with another woman and agreeing to go to her apartment. Ted is confronted by Marshall, who says "Aren't you afraid a certain someone will find out about this? This isn't you, Ted." [[spoiler: It turns out that Barney had been calling himself "Ted Mosby", so that's who the bouncer thought he was; we were shown Ted instead of Barney because that's how Robin would have imagined the bouncer's account. Meanwhile, Marshall's "certain someone" was the real Ted, and "This isn't you" was meant literally.]]

to:

* ''HowIMetYourMother'': ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': Robin follows her boyfriend Ted to a nightclub and asks the bouncer about him. We are shown the event, in which Ted, who has been acting unlike himself, is flirting with another woman and agreeing to go to her apartment. Ted is confronted by Marshall, who says "Aren't you afraid a certain someone will find out about this? This isn't you, Ted." [[spoiler: It turns out that Barney had been calling himself "Ted Mosby", so that's who the bouncer thought he was; we were shown Ted instead of Barney because that's how Robin would have imagined the bouncer's account. Meanwhile, Marshall's "certain someone" was the real Ted, and "This isn't you" was meant literally.]]



* ''MuchAdoAboutNothing'': Benedick thinks Beatrice is in love with him (she isn't), and when she is sent to bring him in to dinner he thinks she's sending him secret signals; he cites this trope by name.

to:

* ''MuchAdoAboutNothing'': ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'': Benedick thinks Beatrice is in love with him (she isn't), and when she is sent to bring him in to dinner he thinks she's sending him secret signals; he cites this trope by name.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[folder:Film--Live Action]]
* ''Film/ManOfSteel'':
** Not only does Zod's message ("You Are Not Alone") inform humans that aliens exist, it lets Superman know he's ''not'' the [[LastOfHisKind last]] Kryptonian.
** [[spoiler: "Welcome to the Planet, Clark."]]
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''HowIMetYourMother'': Robin follows her boyfriend Ted to a nightclub and asks the bouncer about him. We are shown the event, in which Ted, who has been acting unlike himself, is flirting with another woman and agreeing to go to her apartment. Ted is confronted by Marshall, who says "Aren't you afraid a certain someone will find out about this? This isn't you, Ted." [[spoiler: It turns out that Barney had been calling himself "Ted Mosby", so that's who the bouncer thought he was; we were shown Ted instead of Barney because that's how Robin would have imagined the bouncer's account. Meanwhile, Marshall's "certain someone" was the real Ted, and "This isn't you" was meant literally.]]
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* CovertDistressCode
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

Changed: 408

Removed: 219

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
irrelevant to the trope


** In ''The Moon's a Balloon'', David Niven mentions some officers of the Highland Light Infantry still doing that in the inter-war years, when he served with the regiment on Malta. It makes you wonder if the they were aware to whom the Stuart claim to the throne had at that point devolved - Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria, who had served as a General on the German side in World War I.
* Prussian Field Marshal Blücher, co-victor of the Battle of Waterloo, once bet other guests at a social function that he was able to kiss his own head. He then proceeded to kiss - his chief of staff, General Gneisenau.

to:

** In ''The Moon's a Balloon'', David Niven mentions some officers of the Highland Light Infantry still doing that in the inter-war years, when he served with the regiment on Malta. It makes you wonder if the they were aware to whom the Stuart claim to the throne had at that point devolved - Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria, who had served as a General on the German side in World War I.
* Prussian Field Marshal Blücher, co-victor of the Battle of Waterloo, once bet other guests at a social function that he was able to kiss his own head. He then proceeded to kiss - his chief of staff, General Gneisenau.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** In ''The Moon's a Balloon'', David Niven mentions some officers of the Highland Light Infantry still doing that in the inter-war years, when he served with the regiment on Malta. It makes you wonder if the they were aware to whom the Stuart claim to the throne had at that point devolved - Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria, who had served as a General on the German side in World War I.
* Prussian Field Marshal Blücher, co-victor of the Battle of Waterloo, once bet other guests at a social function that he was able to kiss his own head. He then proceeded to kiss - his chief of staff, General Gneisenau.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
That\'s not really a double meaning; that\'s misdirection.


* Mother Gothel of ''{{Tangled}}'' explains to Rapunzel that [[GirlInTheTower she needs to be kept safe and hidden in the tower]] because when she was a baby people tried to cut her hair and use its magic for themselves. It takes Rapunzel a long time before she realizes who the "people" were.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* Mother Gothel of ''{{Tangled}}'' explains to Rapunzel that [[GirlInTheTower she needs to be kept safe and hidden in the tower]] because when she was a baby people tried to cut her hair and use its magic for themselves. It takes Rapunzel a long time before she realizes who the "people" were.

Changed: 164

Removed: 166

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:


The way they got around was that in his own home, a noble with Jacobite sympathies could join in and even propose loyal toasts to the king by using special cups with the name "Charles Edward Stuart", or a shortened version thereof at the bottom, which would also be supplied to any other rebels around the table, but not the English visitors. So you could raise your cup and say: "To the king!" while looking straight at the name of the Jacobite Pretender.
** A variation was to have a glass of water on the table positioned so that the toasting glass passed directly above it, thereby toasting "the king across the water".

to:

The way they got around was that in his own home, a noble with Jacobite sympathies could join in and even propose loyal toasts to the king by using special cups with the name "Charles Edward Stuart", or a shortened version thereof at the bottom, which would also be supplied to any other rebels around the table, but not the English visitors. So you could raise your cup and say: "To the king!" while looking straight at the name of the Jacobite Pretender.
**
Pretender. A variation was to have a glass of water on the table positioned so that the toasting glass passed directly above it, thereby toasting "the king across the water".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

**A variation was to have a glass of water on the table positioned so that the toasting glass passed directly above it, thereby toasting "the king across the water".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
formatting, grammar, and clarifying pronouns


[[folder:Film]]
* In WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} to undue a spell, the witch tells Merida that she and her mother most mend what was torn by pride. Merida assumes this means a tapestry she slashed open during a fight between the two of them; however, its left ambiguous to whether she really meant the tapestry or the relationship between them.

to:

[[folder:Film]]
[[folder:Film--Animated]]
* In WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'', to undue undo a spell, the witch tells Merida that she and her mother most mend what was torn by pride. Merida assumes this means a tapestry she slashed open during a fight between the two of them; her and her mother; however, its it's left ambiguous to whether she the witch really meant the tapestry or the relationship between them.Merida and her mother.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* In WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} do undue a spell, the witch tells Merida that she and her mother most mend what was torn by pride. Merida assumes this means a tapestry she slashed open during a fight between the two of them; however, its left ambiguous to whether she really meant the tapestry or the relationship between them.

to:

* In WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} do to undue a spell, the witch tells Merida that she and her mother most mend what was torn by pride. Merida assumes this means a tapestry she slashed open during a fight between the two of them; however, its left ambiguous to whether she really meant the tapestry or the relationship between them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:


[[folder:Film]]
* In WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} do undue a spell, the witch tells Merida that she and her mother most mend what was torn by pride. Merida assumes this means a tapestry she slashed open during a fight between the two of them; however, its left ambiguous to whether she really meant the tapestry or the relationship between them.
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



[[folder:Film}}
* In WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} do undue a spell, the witch tells Merida that she and her mother most mend what was torn by pride. Merida assumes this means a tapestry she slashed open during a fight between the two of them; however, its left ambiguous to whether she really meant the tapestry or the relationship between them.
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[folder:Film}]

to:

[[folder:Film}][[folder:Film}}
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[folder:Film}]
* In WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} do undue a spell, the witch tells Merida that she and her mother most mend what was torn by pride. Merida assumes this means a tapestry she slashed open during a fight between the two of them; however, its left ambiguous to whether she really meant the tapestry or the relationship between them.
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Adding to index

Added DiffLines:

* {{Pun}}

Added: 1029

Removed: 1050

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
There was already a literature folder


* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians reclaim the greeting (since it was originally the Paschal greeting), placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of the world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.
* ''{{Dune}}''. In the greenhouse room Jessica finds a note from Lady Fenring, a fellow Bene Gesserit. The last line of the message is "On that path lies danger", a secret warning code that there was a hidden message nearby. Jessica finds the hidden message as a series of dots on the underside of a nearby leaf.
* In ''Literature/{{Helm}}'', in Denesse Sensei's first conversation with Leland, his comments about the tea are simultaneously commentary on the [[UpgradeArtifact effects of the Helm]].




[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians reclaim the greeting (since it was originally the Paschal greeting), placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of the world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.
* ''{{Dune}}''. In the greenhouse room Jessica finds a note from Lady Fenring, a fellow Bene Gesserit. The last line of the message is "On that path lies danger", a secret warning code that there was a hidden message nearby. Jessica finds the hidden message as a series of dots on the underside of a nearby leaf.
* In ''Literature/{{Helm}}'', in Denesse Sensei's first conversation with Leland, his comments about the tea are simultaneously commentary on the [[UpgradeArtifact effects of the Helm]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* In ''JasonAndTheArgonauts'', Jason tells a camp's general that he is visiting Thessaly to reclaim his rightful throne from Pelias, who had [[TheUsurper usurped]] it twenty years before. The general tells Jason, "When your father defended his throne, no man fought harder than I." Of course, the general is [[KingIncognito secretly Pelias himself]], so the second meaning is, in a sense, "truer" than the seemingly straightforward one (he fought hard enough to ''win'', after all).

[[folder:Literature]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians co-opt the greeting, placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of the world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.

to:

* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians co-opt reclaim the greeting, greeting (since it was originally the Paschal greeting), placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of the world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians co-opt the greeting, placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.

to:

* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians co-opt the greeting, placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of the world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* In ''Literature/{{Helm}}'', in Denesse Sensei's first conversation with Leland, his comments about the tea are simultaneously commentary on the [[UpgradeArtifact effects of the Helm]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:


[[folder:WebComics]]
* In ''{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4107 Baby Blue assures Satan that her loyalties are perfectly clear, without mentioning whether it's him or Fucshia that won.]]
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[folder:WebComics]]
* In ''{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4107 Baby Blue assures Satan that her loyalties are perfectly clear, without mentioning whether it's him or Fucshia that won.]]
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
launching YKTTW

Added DiffLines:

Sometimes, stating something plainly is not a good option. When that's the case, and simply leaving it unstated won't work either, you must resort to using double meanings.

For a statement to have a double meaning, it must have one obvious meaning and one deliberate meaning, concealed so that only those "in the know" will understand that second meaning.

This is frequently used to pass secret messages along, as it is often more subtle than using an obvious code. Alternatively, a sub-culture may adopt a phrase from the main culture, but assign their own meaning to it, understood only within that sub-culture.

Supertrope to:
[[index]]
* AmbiguousSyntax
* DoubleEntendre
* DoubleMeaningTitle
* DoubleSpeak
* DualMeaningChorus
* ExactWords
* FalseReassurance
* MultipleReferencePun
* MultitaskedConversation
* NoManOfWomanBorn
* PublicSecretMessage
* SpySpeak
* TroubleEntendre
[[/index]]

Sister tropes include LiteralGenie, LiteralMinded, LiteralMetaphor, ProphecyTwist, {{Subtext}}, and TalkingThroughTechnique.

Examples that fit into one of the subtropes should be placed on the appropriate page; this page is for examples that don't fit elsewhere.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''LeftBehind'' books, after Carpathia's resurrection, the standard greeting becomes "He is risen," with the response being "he is risen indeed": the "he" refers to Carpathia. The Christians co-opt the greeting, placing a slight emphasis on the "he" to indicate that they are referring to Jesus instead of Carpathia. This allows the Christians to interact with the rest of world without drawing suspicion to themselves, while at the same time not violating their beliefs.
* ''{{Dune}}''. In the greenhouse room Jessica finds a note from Lady Fenring, a fellow Bene Gesserit. The last line of the message is "On that path lies danger", a secret warning code that there was a hidden message nearby. Jessica finds the hidden message as a series of dots on the underside of a nearby leaf.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''MuchAdoAboutNothing'': Benedick thinks Beatrice is in love with him (she isn't), and when she is sent to bring him in to dinner he thinks she's sending him secret signals; he cites this trope by name.
-->"Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner." There's a double meaning in that. "I took no more pains for those thanks than you took pains to thank me." That's as much as to say, "Any pains that I take for you is as easy as thanks." If I do not take pity of her, I am a villain. If I do not love her, I am a Jew.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* During the 18th century Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland, noblemen supposedly loyal to the English crown but secretly on the side of the rebels had to tread a very fine line, or risk having their wealth confiscated. Since in those days the word of a nobleman was almost sacred, and breaking it meant great loss of face, a common test of loyalty was to propose a toast to the king. This was in effect swearing loyalty to the crown, and many Scots nobles would have found this difficult or impossible to do.\\
\\
The way they got around was that in his own home, a noble with Jacobite sympathies could join in and even propose loyal toasts to the king by using special cups with the name "Charles Edward Stuart", or a shortened version thereof at the bottom, which would also be supplied to any other rebels around the table, but not the English visitors. So you could raise your cup and say: "To the king!" while looking straight at the name of the Jacobite Pretender.
[[/folder]]
----

Top