Tradition suggests that a wife would fashion the bolster out of bamboo and give it to her husband when he travelled away from home so that he would not be lonely at night, hence the alternative terms bamboo wife, “Dutch wife,” or chikufujin (竹夫人).

Why is a bolster called a Dutch wife?

Tradition suggests that a wife would fashion the bolster out of bamboo and give it to her husband when he travelled away from home so that he would not be lonely at night, hence the alternative terms bamboo wife, “Dutch wife,” or chikufujin (竹夫人).

What is a Dutch wife pillow?

Dutch wife (plural Dutch wives) A long body-length bolster (pillow) that can be held or wrapped around one’s body while sleeping. quotations ▼ synonyms ▲ Synonyms: body pillow, dakimakura, love pillow. In East Asia and Southeast Asia, a wicker or bamboo tube the size of a person for use in the bed.

What is the purpose of a bolster?

They’re typically used to add a decorative accent at the front or back of a bed. They can also serve a more functional purpose. Bolsters can be placed between your legs at night, to provide head, shoulder, back or hip support, by comfortably aligning your body. A great combination of form and function!

What does in Dutch with the wife mean?

A prostitute. Etymology: The origin of the term is thought to be from the Dutch colony of Indonesia where Dutch traders would spend long periods away from their wives.

What does it mean to bolster someone?

To bolster is to offer support or strengthen. A bolster is also the name of a long pillow you might use to make your back feel better. And the two uses are not dissimilar. When you bolster your friends, you support them and prop them up, just like the pillow does for your back.

What is bolster in the Bible?

1 : a long pillow or cushion. 2 : a structural part designed to eliminate friction or provide support or bearing (see bearing sense 5)

What does bamboo wife mean?

bamboo wife (plural bamboo wives) In East Asia and Southeast Asia, a hollow bamboo bolster roughly the size of a human body, embraced by a person while sleeping during hot weather because its open structure exposes the body to cooling air flow.

Do people sleep with bolster?

History Of The ‘Dutch Wife’: Indonesia As The Only Nation That Sleeps With A Bolster. Share: JAKARTA – Did you know that based on literacy, pillows and bolsters as a complement to sleep actually only exist in Indonesia. Its presence that does not exist in other countries makes bolsters a unique item.

What is a Dutch oven in bed?

In cooking, a Dutch oven is a type of heavy pot with a lid. But in slang, a Dutch oven is when you pass gas in bed and pull the covers over someone else’s head, trapping it in like a Dutch oven traps heat.

What is the meaning of Lungfuls?

(lʌŋfʊl ) Word forms: plural lungfuls. countable noun. If someone takes a lungful of something such as fresh air or smoke, they breathe in deeply so that their lungs feel as if they are full of that thing.

What is a Dutch wife?

Definition of Dutch wife. : a long round bolster or an open frame of rattan or cane used in beds in tropical countries as a rest for the limbs and an aid in keeping cool.

Old bolsters here known as Dutch wives. This pillow would come to be known in English as the “Dutch wife” because the popular story goes that it was invented by Dutch colonialists in Indonesia a few hundred years ago.

Where did the humble bolster come from?

The humble bolster has come a long way and it actually has some history (or even origins) in our region. Back during the days when Southeast Asia was mostly colonised by the Europeans, a special bolster that was made of rattan or wicker woven into the shape of a modern day bolster, and wrapped in linen, was invented.

What is the bolster that Maniam clutched tightly called?

His eyes wide with surprise and fear, he clutched tightly the bolster — sweat- absorbing bedfellow of sleepers in the East — known as a Dutch wife. […] “What do you mean? Who are you?” Maniam’s great eyes, his black skin oiled with sweat, Maniam’s hands pudgily clutching his Dutch wife.