Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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phrase
Used to highlight a sexual ambiguity in an innocent remark.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, humorous
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the occupation of actress was commonly associated with prostitute. The phrase plays on the contrasting natures of an actress or prostitute on one hand and a presumably (although possibly not actually) chaste bishop on the other.
