The man behind the annual Top 10 of Everything casts his eye on the hilarious history of double entendres

 

"Such was Catherine Morland at ten. At fifteen appearances were mending; she began to curl her hair and long for balls."  —Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

"You know, animals are very psychic. I mean, the least sign of danger and my pussy's hair stands on end."  —Mrs. Slocombe, Are You Being Served?

 

From the unwittingly filthy, to the gleefully subversive, double entendres have been making people laugh for centuries. In this hilarious survey, Russell Ash uncovers some of history's dirtiest double meanings. From the smut lurking between the polished lines of of literature's most revered writers, to the public innuendo accidents that have tripped up even the most respected of politicians, right through to the sly innuendo that has characterized some best-loved comedies television shows, this collection has it all.