what the butler saw

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A story or film of titillating activity observed by voyeurism.

   • When a male supervisor in Night Shift watches the women working at the machines, the female narrator is reminded of "some pier Peeping Tom, getting the story of 'what the butler saw' from a penny slot machine"
   • In Last Tango, we encounter another cast of off-the-wall characters (does Wales really have this many eccentrics?) as Louie becomes involved in Aberystwyth's 'What the Butler Saw' film industry.
2. 2

   A mutoscope

   A mutoscope; an amusement machine that shows a sequence of images or animation, often of a titillating nature, viewed via a peephole

   • His scheme, which incorporates a 'what the butler saw emporium', two museums, a long bar and a 'fabulous' submerged restaurant has, perhaps more than the professional winners, caught the traditional rich-mix pier-head flavour.
   • the fairground – women wanting to read your palm, a what-the-butler-saw, the waxworks, the dodgems, ghost train, tunnel of love...

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