Advice: Just close your eyes and think of England (the Empire)

[Victor Steinbok]

I'm quite certain that I've heard this in an English film in a "think of 
the King" version, although I could not tell you the date or the film. 
I'll see what I can find, if anything. No promises

     VS-)

On 10/1/2014 3:48 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> Here are a set of matches. Many of the dates are from GB and are
> unverified. The examples in the QI article are verified with paper,
> scans, or archive text (though two are from quotation references,
> i.e., indirect, at this time).
>
> A three part version similar to LH's suggestion appeared in 1977, apparently.
>
> 1943 just close your eyes and think of England
> 1955 just close your eyes and think of England
> 1963 I lie still and think of a new way to trim a hat
> 1968 I shut my eyes tight and thought of the Empire
> 1971 remain still and think of England
> 1971 Lie still and think of England
> 1972 I lie down on my bed, close my eyes, open my legs and think of England
> 1974 Lie still and think of the Empire
> 1977 Lie still and close your eyes, dear, and think of England
> 1978 lie still and think of your gods
> 1979 Lie back and think of the Empire
> 1986 Lie back, close your eyes, think of England...
> 1999 Lie back and think of Belgium
>
> The 1943 cite is about kissing. All the other cites appear to be about coitus.
>
> The 1972 cite includes the unsupported assertion that the quotation is
> from a private journal in 1912.
>
> Garson

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org