Daily Inspiration Quote by George S. Kaufman

Kaufman’s barb works because it flatters with one hand and slaps with the other. A “double entendre” is the classic theatrical wink: a line that plays innocently on the surface while smuggling in something risquier underneath. By congratulating a “new play” for being “full of single entendres,” Kaufman invents a category that shouldn’t exist, then uses it to accuse the writer of having only the surface. No second meaning, no hidden engine, no adult aftertaste - just one idea, said once.

The joke is also a critic’s miniature manifesto. In Kaufman’s Broadway world, sophistication wasn’t only about being dirty; it was about being layered. A good line should do more than land a punchline. It should carry social observation, character, and status anxiety in the same breath. Calling something a “single entendre” implies the playwright is reaching for the cachet of cleverness without paying the price of actual craft. It’s the theatrical version of a fake designer logo: recognizable, but empty.

Context matters: Kaufman came up in a culture of urbane comedy and newspaper-wise skepticism, where wit was a form of authority. His smartest insults sound like polite conversation until you notice the trapdoor. The phrasing “I understand” mimics gossip and professional courtesy, giving the target no room to argue without seeming humorless. The line isn’t just an insult; it’s a warning about mediocrity dressed as sophistication - and about how quickly theater people can smell the difference.