risqué

A comedian told a risqué joke at the club.

Definition

Adjective:
- Suggestive of indecency or impropriety: "risqué" describes something that is slightly shocking or offensive because it refers to sex or nudity in a way that is considered daring or inappropriate.

Usage Examples

Advanced Usage

"risqué humour": jokes or comedy that deal with taboo subjects, especially sexual ones, in a bold manner.
- His risqué humour is popular with adults but unsuitable for children. (His jokes are sexually suggestive and intended for mature audiences.)
"risqué remark": a comment that is slightly indecent or improper.
- She made a risqué remark about his appearance, causing everyone to blush. (The comment was bold and borderline inappropriate.)

Variants and Related Words

Risqué (adj) is derived from French, meaning "risky" or "dangerous." It does not have common English variants, but related terms include:
- Racy (adj): having a quality that is exciting or suggestive, often in a sexual way.
  - The novel’s racy passages were removed for the school edition. (The passages were sexually suggestive and exciting.)
- Bawdy (adj): humorously indecent or vulgar.
  - The play is full of bawdy jokes that entertain the audience. (The jokes are crude and sexually explicit in a comedic way.)

Synonyms

Bold: showing a willingness to take risks; confident and daring.
Indecent: offending against generally accepted standards of propriety or morality.
Suggestive: tending to suggest something, especially something indecent.

Related Idioms

"Push the envelope": to go beyond the limits of what is considered acceptable or proper.
- The director’s film pushes the envelope with risqué content. (The film tests boundaries of decency.)
"Walk a fine line": to be in a situation where two different behaviors or results are possible, especially when one is risky.
- The comedian walks a fine line between being funny and being risqué. (He balances humor with potential offensiveness.)

No Phrasal Verbs

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