INNUENDO, by Queen

INNUENDO

Noun: a comment or remark which hints at an accusation or suggestion, without saying it directly.

Example

“The teacher said that all students needed to be on time for class, which was innuendo aimed at Dave, who had been late twice that week.”

Another good example is from gangster films, where a gangster is making a shop owner pay money to prevent the gang from destroying his shop. The gangster will say something like, “This is a nice shop. It would be a shame if anything happened to it.” The innuendo here is that if the owner doesn’t pay up, the gang will destroy his shop.

Innuendo is one of those things about any language that make it more difficult for non-native speakers to understand what you are speaking about – much like idioms and metaphors. This is because the thing you are talking about is not mentioned, but you “talk around” the subject. By definition innuendo means “to point” to something, without saying it out loud.

This can be done by talking generally about a subject that applies to only one person, by using figures of speech like puns and metaphors, or referring to a phrase from a film or book that everyone knows. Innuendo can also be used to suggest something that it might not be polite to talk about in public. This only works if both speakers understand the innuendo being made.

When a phrase can have both an innocent and a not-so-innocent meaning, it is called a double entendre, (from French) or “double meaning”.

Origin

The word “innuendo” comes from the Latin word meaning “to point”.

FROM: http://kaplaninternational.com/blog/definition-innuendo/

Ooh ooh

While the sun hangs in the sky and the desert has sand
While the waves crash in the sea and meet the land
While there's a wind and the stars and the rainbow
Till the mountains crumble into the plain

Oh yes, we'll keep on trying
Tread that fine line
Oh, we'll keep on trying
Yeah
Just passing our time

Ooh ooh

While we live according to race, colour or creed
While we rule by blind madness and pure greed
Our lives dictated by tradition, superstition, false religion
Through the eons and on and on

Oh, yes, we'll keep on trying, yeah
We'll tread that fine line
Oh oh we'll keep on trying
Till the end of time
Till the end of time

Through the sorrow all through our splendor
Don't take offence at my innuendo

Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh
Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh

You can be anything you want to be
Just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be
Be free with your tempo, be free, be free
Surrender your ego - be free, be free to yourself

Ooh ooh, yeah

If there's a God or any kind of justice under the sky
If there's a point, if there's a reason to live or die
Ha, if there's an answer to the questions we feel bound to ask
Show yourself - destroy our fears - release your mask
Oh yes, we'll keep on trying
Hey, tread that fine line
(Yeah) yeah
We'll keep on smiling, yeah
(Yeah) (yeah) (yeah)
And whatever will be - will be
We'll just keep on trying
We'll just keep on trying
Till the end of time
Till the end of time
Till the end of time