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Dutch wife

American  

noun

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


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

"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

Etymology

Origin of Dutch wife

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

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

Fifty-nine-year-old Andrew Hoare, who worked in banking, also died in the crash with his Dutch wife and two children, aged 14 and 12.

From BBC Jul. 19, 2014

Therefore, exit Citizen Noel and his Dutch wife.

From The Rise of the Dutch Kingdom 1795-1813 by Van Loon, Hendrik Willem

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