# "That's what SHE said!" -- OK, but since when? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367 "2023-09-19T15:50:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/1 "2023-09-19T15:50:45Z")
So, I made one of those TWSS wisecracks earlier today (if you must know, a friend of mine boasted about leveling up at Wordle by saying “these days I find myself finishing faster and faster!”, which walked right into the proverbial “it”). And then I semi-apologized by saying, “sorry, but I’m still basically 16 years old at heart.” Then I reflected, nah, I’m pretty sure I heard TWSS type humor a bit earlier, like since I was 13 or 14? And then then I reflected, well duh, that’s about the age for that type of crude, sexual reference type humor to start. Not that it started in the early 1980s, when I was that age… …or was it? I have no way of knowing, do I? Just how old IS this joke? Is there a known source? The usual etymological research relies on written/published use, but this is definitely the sort of thing that would start off orally and go on for a long time before progressing on (…TWSS!). Alternatively, the response is completely portable across languages - how common is this to say in French, Spanish, etc., and in what turn of phrase? Or do we have an epigram of Martial from Ancient Rome where he drops HOC ILLA QUOD DIXIT? ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/2 "2023-09-19T15:56:33Z")
It goes back aways, but maybe not to the ancient Romans: [Said the actress to the bishop - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Said_the_actress_to_the_bishop#%22That's_what_she_said!%22) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/3 "2023-09-19T16:54:57Z")
I don’t recall this from even when I was an undergraduate – I don’t think it’s that old. Using Google N-gram, I find a sharp increase starting about 1980. The phrase occurs before then, but I suspect it’s a non-joke “innocent” use of the phrase without the implied risque double entendre. > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=that%27s%2Bwhat%2Bshe%2Bsaid&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=3&case_insensitive=true)** > > Google Books Ngram Viewer ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/4 "2023-09-19T17:00:08Z")
This website claims that it sorta appears in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1929 film **Blackmail** , but that its first undeniable appearance in print was circa 1973. That’s close enough to the 1980 figure I give. It does, though, state the phrase as if it existed well before its use in print. > **["That's What She Said": Who Said It First?](https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/thats-what-she-said/)** > > That’s what she said is a form of innuendo that takes innocent statements out of context and makes them sound lewd or sexual. > [@](#): > > Its first appearance on TV is popularly credited to comedian Chevy Chase on a 1975 “Weekend Update” skit on _Saturday Night Live_. > > _That’s what she said_ became a popular catchphrase on _Saturday Night Live_’s late 1980s and early 1990s “Wayne’s World” sketches. These starred Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as two metalheads broadcasting a show from their basement. The character of Wayne (Mike Myers) would often fire off _that’s what she said_ jokes. For example, in one scene, Garth says he’s “getting tired of holding it,” and Wayne replies, “Yeah, that’s what she said.” When “Wayne’s World” spun off into a film series in 1992, _that’s what she said_ made its way to the big screen as well. > > In the 2000s, the joke was a popular one-liner from character of Michael Scott in the US remake of _The Office_. Since Michael Scott (Steve Carell) plays a lovable loser with an ill-timed, groan-worthy sense of humor, his frequent _that’s what she said_ jokes were were considered tired and old hat in the universe of the show, not to mention inappropriate in an office setting. _The Office_ is filled with _that’s what she said_ jokes. For example, in one episode Pam says that her mother is coming, and Michael responds “_that’s what she said._” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/5 "2023-09-19T17:23:56Z")
> Said the actress to the bishop A variant from a [BBC radio comedy show](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educating_Archie) of the 1950s was “As the art mistress said to the gardener” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/6 "2023-09-19T17:55:26Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > It goes back aways, but maybe not to the ancient Romans: > > [Said the actress to the bishop - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Said_the_actress_to_the_bishop#%22That's_what_she_said!%22) In the 70’s I worked with a guy (age about 40) who’d immigrated to the US from Ireland in the early 60’s. He was full of _bon mots_, his most often used one being “That’s what the bishop said to the actress.” Yes, the reverse of what the wiki link refers to, but equally versatile in a hee-hee-naughty way. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/7 "2023-09-19T20:29:15Z")
I first heard it from a friend in the mid eighties. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/8 "2023-09-19T20:39:58Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > It goes back aways, but maybe not to the ancient Romans: So, at least before 1929. That version, anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/9 "2023-09-19T20:57:40Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > In the 70’s I worked with a guy (age about 40) who’d immigrated to the US from Ireland in the early 60’s. He was full of _bon mots_, his most often used one being “That’s what the bishop said to the actress.” Yes, the reverse of what the wiki link refers to, but equally versatile in a hee-hee-naughty way. I think any skilled raconteur would have the capacity to switch around the thespian and the ecclesiast to achieve a more satisfactory climax. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/10 "2023-09-19T21:01:35Z")
Nice, I do remember coming across “that’s what the actress said to the bishop” and variants thereof involving bishops or other “female professional name”, but it always felt stilted and old-fashioned, versus the edgy/racy intonation of TWSS. I do remember _Wayne’s World_ and _The Office_ doing this a lot in the 1990s, but it was something already familiar to me by then. Steve Martin popularizing it in the later 1970s makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/11 "2023-09-19T21:04:18Z")
And hot diggity, I always thought this lyric from the 1979 Joe Jackson song “Sunday Papers” was a reference to some current events known from British tabloids - apparently it was just an expression! _Mother doesn’t go out anymore,_ _Just sits at home and rolls her spastic eyes_ _But every weekend through the door_ _Come words of wisdom from the world outside_ _ **If you want to know 'bout the bishop and the actress** ,_ _If you want to know how to be a star_ _If you want to know 'bout the stains on the mattress,_ _You can read it in the Sunday papers_ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/12 "2023-09-19T21:16:12Z")
It was bog-standard high school boy to boy BS when I was in HS 1972-1976 in SoCal. It didn’t seem then like some new invention, although it was new to me as I aged into the leering elbow-in-ribs joking of pubescent males. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/13 "2023-09-19T21:55:14Z")
And then there’s the _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ variation: “the title of your sex tape.” ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/14 "2023-09-19T23:26:07Z")
That’s right around when my HS boyfriend was always saying it to me…like around 1980-ish. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/15 "2023-09-20T00:56:59Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > And hot diggity, I always thought this lyric from the 1979 Joe Jackson song “Sunday Papers” was a reference to some current events known from British tabloids - apparently it was just an expression! Ooh, nice catch! mmm ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/16 "2023-09-20T01:24:10Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > And then there’s the _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ variation: “the title of your sex tape.” And _Archer’s_ “Phrasing!” These are all three in regular rotation in the old Weasel household, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/17 "2023-09-20T12:40:57Z")
Raquel Welch when Harvey Keitel was making a pass at her in _Mother, Jugs, and Speed_ - “They don’t call me Speedy for nothing.” “Well, let’s hope they don’t call you Speedy for everything.” A variant I’ve heard if some woman walks right into it a good double entendre… “I bet you say that to all the guys” I vaguely recall Leslie Charteris in _The Saint_ stories making the “bishop and actress” comment a few times. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/18 "2023-09-20T13:09:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It was bog-standard high school boy to boy BS when I was in HS 1972-1976 in SoCal. It didn’t seem then like some new invention, although it was new to me as I aged into the leering elbow-in-ribs joking of pubescent males. It was a popular thing when I was in high school, circa 1977 to 1979. The SNL and Chevy Chase reference given above may have made it more popular in my friend group. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/19 "2023-09-20T13:29:59Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > “They don’t call me Speedy for nothing.” > “Well, let’s hope they don’t call you Speedy for everything.” Virginia, Virginia, I sing you this song; They called you “Virgin” for short, But not for long. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367/20 "2023-09-20T15:38:39Z")
I think the OP is looking for a factual answer, so I proffer “for a long time”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-she-said-ok-but-since-when/990367.md?page=2)