Idiom
notch on one's bedpost
Meaning
A sexual conquest; a casual sexual partner.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He views every new date as just another notch on his bedpost.”
“They worry that the traveler sees them as a notch on his bedpost.”
“He does not want to be just another notch on her bedpost.”
“She felt insulted when she realized he treated their relationship as nothing more than a notch on his bedpost.”
“The rumors suggest he only dates famous people because he wants an impressive notch on his bedpost to show off to his friends.”
“After years of casual dating, she decided she was tired of being treated like a notch on someone's bedpost and looked for a real connection.”
“The protagonist boasted of his romantic exploits, treating each woman he encountered as a mere notch on his bedpost rather than a person.”
Examples
simple
“He views every new date as just another notch on his bedpost.”
“They worry that the traveler sees them as a notch on his bedpost.”
“He does not want to be just another notch on her bedpost.”
contextual
“She felt insulted when she realized he treated their relationship as nothing more than a notch on his bedpost.”
“The rumors suggest he only dates famous people because he wants an impressive notch on his bedpost to show off to his friends.”
“After years of casual dating, she decided she was tired of being treated like a notch on someone's bedpost and looked for a real connection.”
complex
“The protagonist boasted of his romantic exploits, treating each woman he encountered as a mere notch on his bedpost rather than a person.”
Origin
The idiom originates from the supposed practice of recording the count of one's sexual conquests by carving physical indentations into the wooden frame of a bed. A notch would be added to the bedpost to mark each new partner, serving as a primitive and remarkably indiscreet tally.
Key words
Related idioms
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