<P> The phrase "Said the actress to the bishop" is a colloquial and vulgar British exclamation, offering humour by serving as a punch line that exposes an unintended double entendre . An equivalent phrase in North America is "that's what she said". Each phrase is an example of a Wellerism, exposing a second meaning of what precedes it . The versatility of such phrases, and their popularity, lead some to consider them clichéd . </P> <P> The term, or its variant "as the actress said to the bishop", may have been used as far back as Edwardian times, and is apparently British in origin . </P> <P> The phrase is frequently used by the fictional character Simon Templar (alias "The Saint") in a long - running series of mystery books by Leslie Charteris . The phrase first appears in the inaugural Saint novel Meet the Tiger, published in 1928 . </P>

Where does the that's what she said joke come from
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