<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>

Where does the saying said the actress to the bishop come from