ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bash the bishop

idiom
Meaning

To masturbate by stimulating one's penis.

Origin

first recorded 20th c. disputed origin

Uncertain or disputed. Goldman (1950) suggests that beat the bishop comes from a resemblance of the penis to a bishop’s miter; Partridge (7th ed., 1970) likewise derives bash the bishop from a resemblance to the Staunton bishop chess piece. Other sources, such as Green, suggest that assonance of bishop with bash, beat, bop etc. may have given rise to the phrase as a type of word play.

Examples
SIMPLE

He went to his room to bash the bishop.

CONTEXTUAL

The teenager was embarrassed when his mother walked in while he was bashing the bishop.

COMPLEX

Finding himself alone in the house for the afternoon, he retreated to the privacy of his bedroom to bash the bishop.

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    bash into shape

    Of an item, to fix or build it; often in a rough and ready fashion.

  2. 02

    bash someone's face in

    To beat someone violently.

  3. 03

    bash someone's head

    To beat up someone violently.

  4. 04

    beat the bishop

    To masturbate.

  5. 05

    bop the bishop

    To masturbate (male).

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