Lie back and think of England.
Lie back and think of England is an English saying with roughly the same meaning as
"grit one's teeth", i.e. put up with what is happening. It was used both in England
and among expatriates outside the country when conditions were difficult. It is given
as encouragement to do something unpalatable.
Origins of the phrase - pane.boze! toje hrozne, zvlast ten citat uplne dole. Zvlast barvite to vidim pote, co jsem shledla film Vevodkyne, s dominujicim tematem povinnosti manzela a povinnosti manzelky (porodit syna v tomto pripade).
The origins of the phrase are not clear. According to one urban legend, "lie back and
think of England" was an instruction given to brides or women in general in the
Victorian Era regarding how to cope with the sexual demands of their husbands.
Childbearing was considered a patriotic duty but at the same time women were not
supposed to enjoy sexual intercourse and new brides in particular would even have
been ignorant of the facts about sex. One version of this legend has it that Queen
Victoria gave this instruction to her daughter on her wedding night. According to other,
perhaps less reliable, urban legends, the phrase originated in Lady Alice Hillingdon
(1857-1940) Journal in 1912.
I am happy now that George calls on my bedchamber less frequently than of old.
As it is, I now endure but two calls a week, and when I hear his steps outside my door
I lie down on my bed, close my eyes, open my legs and think of England.