[单项选择]My dictionary defines subtle as "not immediately obvious; characterized by skill or ingenuity; clever; elusive; [even] insidious." Let us look at some concrete instances of this. (The very word itself is an example, as the letter" b" is silent in pronunciation.)"
Language can be straight-forward and directly to the point, but sometimes that takes the fun out of it. On occasion, at least, one appreciates subtleties—often as the mark of a quick wit. This particularly is true of jokes that generally have a double meaning. For example: Awaitress received only three pennies for a tip. Nonplussed, she told the customer that those three pennies told a lot about him. He took the bait and asked what they revealed. "The first penny," she said, "tells me you are thrifty." The patron agreed. "what does the second penny say" asked the customer. "It tells me you’re a bachelor." "Right again," he replied, "And what does the third penny tell you" "The third penny," responded the waitress, "tells
A. a pun which can be interpreted in both positive and negative ways.
B. a tone-twisting joke which intends to make the hearer puzzled.
C. a response by understanding something deliberately in another way.
D. an indirect way of saying something to make someone humiliated.