Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An equivocal word or expression.
- noun A pun.
- noun A double meaning.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun An ambiguous term; a word susceptible of different significations.
- noun An equivocation; a guibble.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective obsolete
Equivocal . - noun A play on words, a
pun . - noun
Ambiguity or double meaning.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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How many times, after an equivoque, after the specious and treacherous reasoning of egotism, had he heard his irritated conscience cry in his ear: “A trip! you wretch!”
Les Miserables 2008
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Calton was too much inwrapped in the contemplation of his happiness to see the equivoque between Hicks and himself; and threw himself back in his chair.
Sketches by Boz 2007
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It almost always turns upon false relations and equivoque, whence jokers by profession usually possess minds as incorrect as they are superficial.
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Such was the very philosophical address of Mr. Robert Bolton, a shorthand – writer, as he termed himself — a bit of equivoque passing current among his fraternity, which must give the uninitiated a vast idea of the establishment of the ministerial organ, while to the initiated it signifies that no one paper can lay claim to the enjoyment of their services.
Sketches by Boz 2007
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This equivoque has been introduced by intolerant moralists, who, deceived by too much zeal, saw excesses where there was only innocent enjoyment.
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Yet even the writer to whom I allude shares the mistake about the authorship, and does me the injustice to suppose that there was equivoque in my former rejection of this honour (as an honour I regard it).
Wuthering Heights 2002
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May I assure him that I would scorn in this and in every other case to deal in equivoque; I believe language to have been given us to make our meaning clear, and not to wrap it in dishonest doubt.
Wuthering Heights 2002
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Hence we find _Henrico, Felicia_, and the Queen together, going through a well-contrived and charmingly-conducted scene of equivoque -- the Queen questioning _Henrico_ touching the state of his heart, and he answering her in reference to _Felicia_, who is leaning over the embroidery frame behind the Queen, and out of her sight.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, October 30, 1841 Various
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Every thing, in a word, is tolerated which can in any way be passed into an equivoque.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808 Lt-Col. Pinkney
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I hear of no news; that of the Duchess of Leinster's (118) match is very equivoque; and extreme their drawing-room.
George Selwyn: His Letters and His Life Helen [Editor] Clergue
qms commented on the word equivoque
Note a typo in the second GNU definition where a "g" is printed instead of the correct "q." The word is quibble. Also see comments at quibble for Sam Johnson's eloquent and funny take on Shakespeare's fondness for quibbles (puns).
January 30, 2017
qms commented on the word equivoque
It's gospel to haughtier folks
That puns are inferior jokes.
While quibbles evince
A groan and a wince
They're witty if called equivoques.
January 30, 2017