Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

as the actress said to the bishop

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.11 in modern English

Syllables: as the ac-tress -said -to the bish-op
IPA

43

Scrabble Score

27

Letters

5

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

phrase

Used to highlight a sexual ambiguity in an innocent remark.

British usage; Humorous

Example Sentences

"Heavens, that's a big one – as the actress said to the bishop."
"The important thing was where you do it, not what you do (as the actress said to the bishop)"
""Oh, well," offered Andrews wryly, as she peeled a piece of fruit, "nothing like a hot banana — as the actress said to the bishop." She then apologized for the tacky sexual quip, explaining, "It just slipped out — as the actress said to the bishop.""
"He has, as the actress said to the bishop, been an unconscionably long time coming,[…]"

Etymology

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the occupation of actress was commonly associated with prostitute. The phrase plays on the contrasting natures of an actress or prostitute on one hand and a presumably (although possibly not actually) chaste bishop on the other.

Usage

British usage
Humorous

Inflected Forms

as the bishop said to the actress (alternative) said the actress to the bishop (alternative) said the bishop to the actress (alternative)

Phrases

double entendre double-entendre oo-er ooh, matron nudge nudge wink wink that's what she said

Frequently Paired Words

double entendre double-entendre euphemism innuendo oo-er ooh, matron nudge nudge wink wink that's what she said

Questions

What does as the actress said to the bishop mean?: Used to highlight a sexual ambiguity in an innocent remark.
Where does as the actress said to the bishop come from?: In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the occupation of actress was commonly associated with prostitute. The phrase plays on the contrasting natures of an actress or prostitute on one hand and a presumably (although possibly not actually) chaste bishop on the other.

How to pronounce as the actress said to the bishop

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