Things not to liken your boss to

For starters how about James Brown?

My boss was sitting at her desk and she had her coat over her shoulders (ie sleeves dangling). Without thinking I said she resembled the Godfather of Soul.

Quite rightly she said that as a mature very white woman from the UK her resemblance to the creator of Papa's got a brand new bag was cursory at best. I lamely tried to explain she looked like when he was old and tired and being lead off stage by his minders just before he threw his cloak off to launch into the encore but I made the error of petering out before the explanation finished and kind of ended at 'old and tired.'

Man I am so lucky she's a good sort.

Also when talking about mongol warriors in ear shot of the boss don't happily describe how one of them, tired of the three holes on offer in a lady, would make his own. It just sounds disturbing.