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Thread ID: 90302	2008-05-30 01:21:00	Why did PressF1 go down just now??	stu161204 (123)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
673748	2008-05-30 08:13:00	....or ...............Smh.com.au What is the origin of the expression "As the bishop said to the actress"? This idiom is used to highlight a sexual reference, deliberate or accidental. From Eric Partridge in A Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British: "As the actress said to the bishop - and vice versa. An innuendo scabrously added to an entirely innocent remark, as in 'It's too stiff for me to manage it - as the actress said to the bishop' or, conversely, 'I can't see what I'm doing - as the bishop said to the actress'. Certainly in RAF use c1944-7, but probably going back to Edwardian days; only very slightly obsolete by 1975, it is likely to outlive most of us." Connie Kamrowski, Orange The expression originated from early English theatre. Actresses were considered to have loose morals and because they were poorly paid, supplemented their income by prostitution. Due to this, clergymen (bishops) spent time with them hoping to get them to change their bad way of life. In those days theatre was bawdy. Writers and comedians made use of the innocent or otherwise association of the Bishop and the Actress. Nowadays something said quite innocently can be turned into humour or smut using the phrase. That's the way it goes (as the Actress said to the Bishop). Nudge nudge wink wink say no more. Ron Speller, Bowral This expression comes from Ian Fleming's 007 Book and the answer is `What have we to show?' Raymond B. Meppem, Beacon Hill This one stems from the early twentieth-century and has no real history other than it came into favour in the 20s as a witty rejoinder to other light hearted remarks. More usually it is `As the actress said to the bishop', but may be reversed to suit the occasion. Phenella Phlagette, Kaleen, ACT I do not know the answer, but you have the question the wrong way around. It should be: `As the actress said to the Bishop, what do you do with the surplice?' Kaye Vild, Bundanoon I don't know about the origin, but the bishop asked `How's your father', the actress replying `I'm keeping mum'. Bob Warren, Forster The saying `As the bishop said to the actress' was invented by one Mary Nilsson, founder of the Art Deco Society of NSW. Mary was renowned for using the phrase and completed most damnations and botherations, such as How do I put this in here?, Why's this carrot so limp?, Are you finished yet?, Can't you move any faster?, etc with the term. And the bishop wasn't alone, there was also `As the guardsman said to the actress' and `As the bishop said to the choir boy'. Denise Hunter, Artarmon From memory I believe the proper quote is: `As the actress said to the bishop!' A far more telling quote when said by none other than Simon Templar, otherwise known as The Saint, in the various books of the same series penned by Leslie Charteris. And as a minister of religion, now retired, I was able to use that expression in whimsical fashion over many years. In my younger days it seemd that boys graduated from reading books like `Treasure Island' to reading Biggles and Bulldog Drummond and on to the sophisticated and somewhat risque The Saint. The Saint made for jolly good reading. Rev Robert Jackson, Bonnells Bay The questions of why do people get an audience with the queen and what did the bishop say to the actress are very closely related. If the queen gets an audience she must be a `drama queen'. The link to the second question goes back to a very ancient game over two thousand years old. When asked to make the right move, the bishop said to the actress `Pawn to king four'. Ken Leard, Kingsford	Misty (368)
673749	2008-05-30 13:11:00	Been happening to me around 1am as well. Oh the irony. And the shame too...	beeswax34 (63)
673750	2008-05-31 06:23:00	I wonder who Westpac are using for there upstream provider?? Chill is working on getting that fixed :) I have the atomic clock ,why don't you lot.? Saves going on about someone's inability of to keep their time piece accurate.	Cicero (40)
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