Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a phr. turning what may have been a perfectly innocent comment into a sexual innuendo, e.g. ‘Pull it out and we’ll see how long it is.’ ‘...As the actress said to the bishop!’; occas. simply as a playful remark; for earlier variants see cits. 1661, 1830.

[1661		Wandring Whore V 6: Every man to his trade, as the Rat-trap-maker said to the Parson].
[1830		W.T. Moncrieff Heart of London III iii: Who have we here, as the rushlight said to the snuffers].
1930		‘Leslie Charteris’ Enter the Saint 56: And now let’s get down to business — as the bishop said to the actress.
1933		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 1 July 5/5: There's nothing like speaking plainly, as the actress said to the Bishop when he showed her his bank book.
1935		‘Leslie Charteris’ Saint in N.Y. 253: What’s in a name? — as the actress said to the bishop when he told her that she reminded him of Aspasia.
1940		Bystander 28 Feb. 258/2: Which just shows, as the actress said to the bishop.
1953		K. Amis Lucky Jim 123: If you don’t know what to do I can’t show you, as the actress said to the bishop.
1960		G.W. Target Teachers (1962) 139: ‘It’s a bastard,’ he said. ‘As the bishop said to the actress,’ said Dusty.
1970		Papua New Guinea Post Courier (Port Moresby) 4 June 7: [photo caption] As the Actress Said to the Bishop.
1976		P. Callow Story of My Desire 15: ‘Put it right in, further!’ Lucy shrieked, jumping up and down. ‘As the actress said to the bishop’.
1984		Partridge DSUE (1984) 28: 'It's too stiff for me to manage it-as the actress said to the bishop.
1995		Poxy’s Playhouse 🌐 And, as the actress said to the bishop, if you pull it long enough you’ll get what you’re after.
2001		Guardian Education 6 Dec. n.p.: Working by yourself makes scholars (in my subject, English, at least) ‘squirrelly’. Too concerned about their own nuts, as the actress said to the bishop.