As the actress said to the bishop

Origin of: As the actress said to the bishop

As the actress said to the bishop

This classic music-hall line dates from the early 20th century, before the First World War, and precedes or follows a perfectly innocent line turning the combined lines into a double entendre. For example, “I didn’t think I could manage it twice, as the actress said to the bishop.” Sometimes the line is reversed to “as the bishop said to the actress” depending on the context.