Chile’s love of names using double entendre

globalvoicesonline.org reported the Chilean National Holidays, popularly known as “el Dieciocho” (The Eighteenth), take place every year on September 18 and 19. In this land of poets, one of the most amusing and deeply rooted traditions is the use of double entendre when naming diners known as fondas, improvised eateries, and dance halls that pop up during the “fiestas patrias” (national holidays).

Loaded phrases that allude to political contingencies, local humor, celebrity names, or sexual innuendo are all part of the mix. These names are widely discussed and shared on the Internet much to the delight of everyone. Each year there is a healthy competition to see who can come up with the most innovative and creative name. Some even become so famous that they stand the test of time. One example is the dance hall “Yein Fonda” (the hispanicized pronunciation of the actress Jane Fonda’s name), which the renowned music group Los Tres founded in 1996. Read Article