hot-water bottle
Noun: A hot-water bottle is a flexible, sealed container, typically made of rubber or a similar material, with a stopper or cap. It is designed to be filled with hot water and used as a portable source of warmth, especially to warm a bed before sleeping or to provide heat to a specific part of the body for comfort or therapeutic reasons.
A hot-water bottle is used primarily for heating and comfort. It is filled with hot (but not boiling) water, sealed tightly, and then placed in a bed or held against the body. * It is a common household item for staying warm in cold weather. * It can be used to soothe aches, such as muscle pain or menstrual cramps.
- Noun:
- On cold winter nights, I always put a hot-water bottle in my bed to warm my feet.
- She placed the hot-water bottle on her sore stomach to ease the discomfort.
- Before electric blankets, people relied on hot-water bottles for bed warmth.
- "To fill a hot-water bottle": The action of putting hot water into the bottle.
- Be careful when you fill the hot-water bottle; the water should be hot but not boiling.
- "A rubber hot-water bottle": Specifies the traditional material, though modern versions may be made from other materials.
- The old-fashioned rubber hot-water bottle has been replaced by a newer, BPA-free model.
- Hot water bottle cover (n): A fabric sleeve or case, often made of wool or fleece, that is placed over a hot-water bottle. It serves two purposes: to prevent direct contact with the hot surface and to provide extra insulation.
- She knitted a colorful cover for her hot-water bottle.
- Bed warmer: A more general term for any object used to warm a bed, which could include a hot-water bottle, a heated stone, or an electric blanket.
- Heating pad: An electric device used for similar therapeutic heating purposes, but it is plugged into an electrical outlet.
The term "hot-water bottle" refers specifically to the object described. It is not used idiomatically or metaphorically in common English. The phrase should not be confused with simply having a bottle that contains hot water (e.g., a baby's bottle); its defining characteristic is its purpose as a reusable heating appliance.
- 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