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hot-water bottle

hot-water bottle

6 2.7
A container filled with hot water to warm a bed or soothe a part of the body
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑtˌwɔtər ˈbɑtəl/
  • UK
translation icon : botella de agua caliente
  • After spraining his ankle, he filled the hot-water bottle with hot water to soothe the pain.
  • a hot-water bottle to bed
  • bring me a hot-water bottle
  • fill her hot-water bottle

But they have hot water bottles and hypodermic needles.

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Examples

  • Since cold bedrooms were supposed to be healthy, we used thick comforters and hot-water bottles to keep us warm in bed.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I've already put the hot water bottle in, mother.

  • Yes, and a warm, hot water bottle and my bed.

  • And you forgot to pack my hot water bottle.

  • Would you like a hot water bottle?

  • I heated up the hot water bottle so you can sit on it while we drive.

  • Gay enters the bedroom carrying a hot water bottle.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • And I'll need a hot-water bottle as well.

  • Afterward, she put Lotte to bed, tucking her up in quilts, with a hot water bottle over her stomach and a cup of sweet tea.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • These tents are luxurious, usually with rugs on the floors and real beds that are heated with hot water bottles.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

hottie
vshot-water bottle
  • UK
1 8.2

A small heated pad used to keep you warm or ease pain

is heated by filling with hot water rather than by microwave or electric power
hot-water bag
vshot-water bottle
  • US
3.7

A rubber bottle filled with hot water used to warm the body or bed

has identical meaning but is a different common name
hot pad
vshot-water bottle
  • US
3.2

An electric pad that warms parts of your body to ease pain

is heated by filling with hot water rather than by electric elements

How Warm

hot-water bottle
  • UK
6 2.7
heating pad
6 2.7
ice pack
15 1.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

hot-water + bottle

The meaning is directly compositional: a container ('bottle') holding hot water, used for warmth or soothing, so a learner who knows 'hot', 'water' and 'bottle' can readily infer the function. This noun-compound pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows ordinary English word-formation, making it immediately understandable at B1 level.

Etymology

Hot-water bottle comes from the simple object itself: a bottle filled with hot water that people put in bed or on a sore place to give warmth. That's why it means 'a rubber or plastic container you fill with hot water to keep warm or to ease pain'.