A humorous expression used to add a sexual connotation to an innocuous phrase. A: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch you there." B: "As the actress said to the bishop!" A: "Wow, that sandwich is huge!" B: "Yeah, I can barely put my hands around it." C: "As the actress said to the bishop!" A: "What are you doing? Just stick it in already." B: "As the actress said to the bishop!" A: "What are you, 12 years old?"

vulgar slang To masturbate. A term only applied to men. A: "Why is he all embarrassed today?" B: "Oh, his crush walked in on him bashing the bishop. How horrifying is that?" Jack talks on and on about how much of a ladies' man he is, but I bet he spends most nights bashing the bishop.

vulgar slang To masturbate. A term only applied to males. A: "Why is he all embarrassed today?" B: "Oh, his crush walked in on him beating the bishop. How horrifying is that?" He talks on and on about how much of a ladies' man he is, but I bet he spends most nights beating the bishop.

old-fashioned A phrase used when a decanter of port wine is being shared after a meal (traditionally passed to the left), and one person has failed to continue passing it along. Primarily heard in UK. A: "So, as I was saying, Mr. Fiddlewich continued his parlay, quite unaware of—" B: "Excuse me, Barnaby? Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?" A: "No, I'm afraid I don't." B: "He's an awfully nice fellow, but he never passes the port." A: "Ah, I see. Here you are, terribly sorry." Hey Michael, do you know Dr. Wright of Norwich? Let's keep the port moving, shall we? Do you fellows at that end of the table know the Bishop of Norwich? Because the rest of us down here are getting a bit parched.

Anyone could experience whatever has befallen the person in question. Oh, don't worry, honey, everyone makes mistakes like that at work at some point. It could happen to a bishop. A: "I can't believe I overdrew my bank account." B: "Don't be too hard on yourself—it could happen to a bishop." Sure, it could happen to a bishop, but it's still a shock whenever I find out that someone I know has cancer.

A phrase used to point out or emphasize that a remark had a risqué double meaning, whether or not it was intended. The phrase, first heard in Britain in the mid-20th century, contrasts a worldly actress and a very proper clergyman to whom such double meanings had to be pointed out. It also took the form of “as the bishop said to the actress,” “as the schoolmaster said to the schoolgirl,” and any number of other combinations. Mae West's repartees, such as replying to a man's saying, “I've heard so much about you” with “Yeah, but you can't prove it,” coming from almost anyone else would qualify for an “As the actress said to the bishop . . .”