Definition

Noun: A hot-water bag is a flexible, sealed container, typically made of rubber or a similar material, with a stopper. It is designed to be filled with hot water and then used to provide warmth, most commonly to warm a bed before sleeping or to apply heat to a specific part of the body for comfort or therapeutic relief.

Examples of Usage

• Before electric blankets, people often used a hot-water bag to take the chill off the sheets on a cold night.
• To soothe her sore muscles, she placed a hot-water bag on her lower back.
• The nurse brought a hot-water bag for the patient who was feeling cold.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to describe something that provides comfort or warmth in a non-literal sense, though this is less common.
  • In those difficult times, her kindness was like a hot-water bag for my soul.

Variants and Related Words

• Hot-water bottle: This is a very common synonym and is often used interchangeably with "hot-water bag," though "bottle" may imply a slightly more rigid or traditional rubber shape.
• Heating pad: A related modern device that uses electricity to generate heat, serving a similar purpose.

Synonyms

• Warming bag
• Bed warmer (though this can also refer to a different, older device)

Related Idioms or Phrases

• To be a hot-water bottle: An informal and figurative way to describe a person who radiates warmth and comfort to others.
  • On winter camping trips, my dog insists on sleeping next to me; he's my little hot-water bottle.

Noun

1. a stoppered receptacle (usually made of rubber) that is to be filled with hot water and used for warming a bed or parts of the body