Dutch wife

American  

noun

1. (in tropical countries) an open framework used in bed as a rest for the limbs.

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Dutch wife British  

noun

1. a long hard bolster used, esp in the tropics, to support one's uppermost knee when sleeping on one's side

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Etymology

Origin of Dutch wife

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

His Dutch wife Ginni van Katwijk — yes, she’s also a high diver competing this week in Japan — has her own injury file.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 23, 2023

Hilali and his native Dutch wife were among more than 5,000 plaintiffs who brought a class-action lawsuit against Wilders for discrimination, for his comments at that March 2014 rally.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2017

Mr Hoggard, who along with his Dutch wife has created sand sculptures all over the world, said this was one of his most adventurous projects in terms of size and scale.

From BBC • Aug. 23, 2015

In his Columbia days, he lived in Astoria, Queens, with his Dutch wife, Sandra Roelofs, who worked at Cheesy Pizza before they found jobs at Manhattan law firms and moved to the Upper West Side.

From New York Times • Sep. 19, 2014

Our host was English, an old man-of-war’s man, with a gentle, kindly Dutch wife, and the best-mannered children I have seen in the colony. 

From Letters from the Cape by Duff Gordon, Lucie, Lady