In England we had ‘lie back and think of England’. What phrase did your country use?

19 comments

1. Wrong sub mate

2. r/lostredditors

3. Bend over and think of Wales

4. “Keep it Beautiful”

   ~ Ontario, Canada

5. I can’t imagine many countries have idioms for ‘rape is just part of marriage’

6. >husband is going to be… ungentlemanly … and that it’s her duty to accept this

   That’s a problematic statement.

7. Lie back and think of the Scottish rugby team?

8. I’m not sure how many creative ways you can tell a woman “just tolerate a lifetime of rape”.

9. I’ve used this phrase so many times in different contexts, completely oblivious that it was about rape acceptance 😬

   *Shut my eyes and think of England

10. It’s Sunday, why are you not at Church?

11. You say the UK doesn’t equal England, which is correct.

    But 150 years ago “England” WAS an accepted catch-all term for the UK and even the wider British empire. There’s every chance your average Scot or Welshman would use the same words, there wasn’t as much individual country’s nationalism back then.

12. Worth pointing out that it’s nearly always used ironically, and was popularised in the fifties by a french satire on the British upper class, rather than being a motto actually taught in school or wherever.

    I’d heard it was originated by Queen Victoria but apparently it wasn’t.

13. I always thought this phrase meant how to get through consensual but unsatisfying sex. Today I learned it’s about marital rape. Now I’m worrying where I may have used this phrase out of context in the past

14. It used to be a case of “lie back and think of Danny Cipriani” with one boyfriend, where romantic attraction was higher than physical. The relationship didn’t work out, but I still think fondly of Danny.

15. I know you’re asking about the other 3 nations, but it’s “close your eyes and think of England” in Germany as well. It’s meant more in a general sense of getting through something unpleasant though.

16. To be fair if someone was planning on being “ungentlemanly” towards my daughter then he may end up six foot under!

17. I don’t know, but I’m so glad it’s not 150 years ago for a multitude of reasons, having to be married to a man being pretty high on the list!.

18. I live in the UK, but I’m from America (sorry) and can confirm that we also say lie back and think of England, although it’s not super common now and more just something that pops up when watching old tv and movies.

19. Living the American Dream