MERKIN in the OED

[Jonathon Green]

> Did they even have blow-up dolls in the 17th century?

Possibly not, but they seem to have done in the Middle East. Thus the OED has:

1886 R. F. Burton tr. Arabian Nights' Entertainments X. 239 For the use of men they have the 'merkin', a heart-shaped article of thin skin stuffed with cotton and slit with an artificial vagina

There is also this recent variant:

1997-2001 The Online Slang Dictionary [Internet] merkin n 1. a straight man married to or involved with a lesbian. The lesbian may be in the public eye and may have a merkin to hide the fact that she is a lesbian

Jonathon Green