Innuendoes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A subtle or indirect remark, often with a suggestive or derogatory undertone
2. An insinuation that implies something without stating it outright, typically with a hint of impropriety
3. A form of communication where meanings lie beneath the surface, often employed to convey criticism or jest discreetly

Etymology: "Innuendoes" is the plural of "innuendo," and the plural form is a nice quirk, since the word itself is a Latin gerund that never needed to be pluralized. "Innuendo" comes directly from Latin "innuendo," the ablative gerund of "innuere," meaning "to nod toward" or "to signify by a nod," formed from "in-" plus "nuere" ("to nod"). Lawyers borrowed it in the 1500s as a legal term, where it meant a parenthetical clarification in a document, such as a note specifying which person a pronoun referred to. The sense of a sly, suggestive hint came later, in the 1600s. Because the original sense is about nodding or gesturing at something, the modern meaning carries the idea of pointing at a meaning without saying it outright. Standard English usually prefers the plural "innuendos," and "innuendoes" is an accepted but less common variant.

Synonyms: insinuations, hints