The British Equivalent of “That’s What She Said”

A British equivalent to “that’s what she said” that’s been around for over a century, namely, “said the actress to the bishop”.  

This phrase derives from the fact that, during early English theater, actresses were poorly paid and often used prostitution to supplement their income.  Because of these “loose morals”, clergymen spent a lot of time with these actresses… trying to get them to turn from their sinful ways.   Thus, it was a common occurrence for actresses to confess their sexual sins to these clergymen (bishops).  Somewhere along the line (and nobody knows exactly where or when), it became common then to say “as the actress said to the bishop” or alternatively “said the actress to the bishop” any time someone uttered a phrase that could be taken sexually, if viewed in the correct light.

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