Wiktionary
grass widows
n. (grass widow English)
Usage examples of "grass widows".
Divorced women were called grass widows because, single as they might be in the eyes of the law, they still had husbands above the grass instead of below it, like decent widows were supposed to.
Better not, though - too many prying eyes in a bungalow household, which is what made life hard for grass widows and unattached white females in Indian garrisons - they couldn't do more than flirt in safety.
Unattached, the women were, their men-folk being hard at it down-country, and the pickings were choice: civilian misses, saucy infantry wives, cavalry mares, and bouncing grass widows.