bedpost

[bed-pohst]

noun

one of the upright supports of a bedstead.
bedposts, Bowling. a split in which the seven and ten pins remain standing.

Origin of bedpost

First recorded in 1590–1600; bed + post¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bedpost

Contemporary Examples of bedpost

But a dashing, magnetic fifty-eight-year-old matinee idol with three ex-wives notched on his bedpost?
How to Get Over Cary Grant
Kara Cutruzzula
September 25, 2011

Historical Examples of bedpost

He pulled his watch from the pocket of his vest, hanging on the bedpost.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
My companion stood gripping the bedpost and fumbling at his holster.
The Cavalier
George Washington Cable
I dream about it nights and wake up with my arms around the bedpost.
The Depot Master
Joseph C. Lincoln
Surely the fellow did not tie her up to the bedpost before leaving the house!
Victory
Joseph Conrad
Between you and me and the bedpost, I doubt if he ever will be.
The Paliser case
Edgar Saltus

British Dictionary definitions for bedpost

bedpost

noun

any of the four vertical supports at the corners of a bedstead
between you and me and the bedpost informal confidentially; in secret

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bedpost

also bed-post, 1590s, from bed (n.) + post (n.1).