English

Alternative forms

• notch in one's bedpost
• notch on the bedpost

Noun

notch on one's bedpost ‎(plural notches on one's bedpost)

1. (idiomatic, slang, offensive) A sexual conquest; a casual sexual partner.
   • 2002, Anne McAllister, The Great Montana Cowboy Auction, Silhouette Books (2002), ISBN 9780373484577, page 22:

     He was a notch on her bedpost, a stepping stone on her quest for stardom.

   • 2007, Melinda Curtis, Count on Love, Harlequin (2007), ISBN 9780373714483 , page 167:

     She'd confused Sam's attentions with real feelings, and now she was just another notch on his bedpost.

   • 2010, Jenna Black, Glimmerglass, St. Martin's Press (2010), ISBN 9780312575939, page 138:

     Bad enough to think he'd wanted me as just another notch on his bedpost, but to think he'd tried to seduce me for cold-blooded political purposes was unbearable.

   • 2011, Peter Robinson, Before the Poison, McClelland & Stewart (2011), ISBN 9780771076237, unnumbered page:

     […] He wasn't a notch on her bedpost. They were in love, for crying out loud.'

Usage notes

Considered offensive because objectifying – seeing a person as a conquest.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:casual sexual partner.