▪ I. safety
(ˈseɪftɪ)
Forms: 3–4 sauvete, savte, 4–5 savetee, sawete, savite, -yte, 4–6 savete, 5 salvetee, 6 savity, salvetie; 4–5 safte(e, sawfte, (5 saefte), 4–6 saufte, 5 Sc. saifte, 6 safitie, safetye, saulftie, saulfty(e, saufftye, sauftie, salf(e)ty, Sc. saiftie, 6–7 safetie, saftie, 7 safty, 6– safety.
[a. F. sauveté (11th c. salvetet), ad. med.L. salvitāt-em, f. salv-us safe. Cf. Pr. salvetat, saubetat, Sp. salvedad.
Scanned by Spenser (and in Shakes. Ham. i. iii. 21 Qq.) as a trisyllable.]
1. a. The state of being safe; exemption from hurt or injury; freedom from danger. Phr. in safety.
Committee of Safety: a body of 23 members appointed in Oct. 1659 by the parliamentary army to conduct the government of England during the interregnum following the practical deposition of Richard Cromwell.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 489 Þat was þe syngne of sauyte þat sende hem oure lorde. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 183 And he eftyr his mengȝe raid; And in-till saufte thaim led. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3410 Þay buþ in sauete. c 1450 Merlin xvii. 272 The lorde of palerne..shall lede the pray to saftee. 1539 Bible (Great) Ps. iv. 8 For it is thou Lorde onely, that makest me dwell in safetye. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. xii. 17 Here now behoueth vs well to auyse, And of our safetie good heede to take. 1611 Bible Prov. xi. 14 In the multitude of counsellers there is safetie. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 243 Merchants, passengers and drivers of loaded Camels, keeping together for safety against theeves. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xvii. 87 In those things which concerne the Common Peace and Safetie. 1659 Whitelocke Mem. (1853) IV. 367. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 697 All Dangers past, at length the lovely Bride In safety goes, with her Melodious Guide. 1771 Junius Lett. lxii. (1820) 322 It is..his duty..not to hazard the safety of the Community. 1856 C. J. Andersson Lake Ngami 9, I arrived late in the evening at our hotel, where they had begun to entertain some doubt of my safety. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. vii. 48 The least presence of mind would be sufficient to place him in safety. |
| Proverb. 1816 Jane Austen Emma II. i. 2 She determined to call upon them and seek safety in numbers. 1886 C. M. Yonge Chantry House II. xii. 112 They all came creeping down after her, feeling safety in numbers. 1914 T. Dreiser Titan xvii. 140 Perhaps he was beginning to run around with other women. There was safety in numbers—that she knew. 1941 E. Howie Murder for Christmas xi. 135 The old adage—there's safety in numbers—may very well apply here. 1973 ‘S. Woods’ Yet she must Die 115 ‘Lydia was flirtatious. But nobody took that seriously, least of all the men concerned.’ ‘Safety in numbers, in fact.’ |
† b. Salvation (of the soul).
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 13093 Yee ask him if he be þat gom Þat for man sauuete suld com. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxii. (Laurentius) 376 Lord Ihesu, þat dengnit þe fore oure sawfte to mane be. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6869 For her soules savetee. 1675 M. Clifford Hum. Reason 32 Those whose Ignorance in these matters has been invincible, they left to the hands of God, without declaring a definitive Opinion either of their safety or perdition. |
† c. with (the) safety of: without damage to, preserving..unhurt.
Obs.| 1619 in Eng. & Germ. (Camden) 10 The King my master professeth he could neither with the saftie of his honor or conscience leave them to be consumed by the sword. 1633 Marmion Antiquary iii. i. (1641) E 4 b, I am..a kinde of lawlesse Justicer,..that will kill any man with my safety. 1640 Shirley St. Patrick iii. ii, That I with safetie of thy sence, Emeria, Might visit thee. |
† d. Sometimes
pl. = the safety of more than one person. (In
quot. 1605 ?
= occasions of safety.)
| 1605 Shakes. Macb. iv. iii. 30 Let not my Iealousies be your Dishonors, But mine owne Safeties. 16.. Chevy Chase i. (Percy MS.), God prosper long our noble king, our liffes and saftyes all! 1686 Plot Staffordsh. 439 To attend his or their own safeties, every one at his perill. a 1774 Goldsm. tr. Scarron's Com. Rom. (1775) II. 55 But still a more predominant regard to their safeties, obliged him to spend all his time in spurring..his own and his mistress's beast. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles iii. xxviii, To Allan's eyes was harder task, The weary watch their safeties ask. |
† e. Phr.
to be safety = to be safe (
for).
Obs.| 1596 Spenser State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 623/1 The Irish were not ameanable to lawe, soe as it was not safetye for the townesemen to goe to them foorth to demaund theyr dett. |
† f. A deliverance or rescue from peril.
Obs. rare.
| 1657 Heylin Eccl. Vind. ii. i. §10. 111 Noah..offered unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving..for so miraculous a safety. |
g. Billiards. See
quot. 1884. Also
attrib. to play for safety: see
play v. 18
f.| 1857 M. Phelan Game of Billiards (ed. 2) iv. 65 Playing for safety.—When you forego a possible advantage, in order to leave the balls in such a position that your opponent can make nothing out of them. 1873 Bennett Billiards 386 It is, of course, a matter of judgment, when to play for a score, and when to play for safety. 1884 W. Cook Billiards 12 When a player, instead of playing to score, plays to leave some position in which his opponent will be unable to score in his next stroke, he is said to play for safety. 1897 Westm. Gaz. 18 Feb. 9/1 By some judicious safety play [he] succeeded in reaching his points without allowing his opponent to improve his position. |
† 2. Close custody or confinement.
Obs.| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 236 Þe mayden Edward toke, als he was fulle curteys, In saufte did hir loke. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. v. iii. 183 Hold him in safety, till the Prince come hither. 1595 ― John iv. ii. 158 Away with him! imprison him;..Deliuer him to safety. |
† 3. A means or instrument of safety; a protection, safeguard.
Obs.| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxviii. (Margaret) 362 For þis payne þat done is to me þe saufte of my saule sal be. 1399 Rolls of Parlt. III. 451/2 Syche Juggement..os myght be savete and seurtee..to the Kynges hegh Estate. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xiii. viii. 623 He that suffred vpon the crosse..he be vnto yow good conduyte and saufte. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 12 Beside, the pargetting or seeling, is a good safetie against fyre. ? c 1580 in Rye Cromer p. lxii, The said Peere..will..in tyme be made a very competent harborough or safetie to the Coast men..and a sound safetie to the Towne. 1689–90 Temple Pop. Discontents Wks. 1731 I. 260 The first Safety of Princes and States, lies in avoiding all Councils or Designs of Innovation in Ancient and Establish'd Forms and Laws. 1713 Steele Englishm. No. 52. 334 Political Fear and Aversion..is generally the Safety of a People. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §332 Two lights..not only of great benefit, but an absolute safety to all navigators on that coast. |
† 4. Used in active sense: The action of saving.
a. Sc. Protection.
under safety of, under protection of.
for the safety of, in order to save or avert.
Obs.| 1465 in Exch. Rolls Scotl. VII. 321 note, For saufte of his lyffe. c 1470 Henry Wallace vii. 938 To saiff his lyff thre ȝer he duelt in But;..Wndir saifte off Jamys than lord Stewart. 1504 in Charters, etc. Edinb. (1871) 188 For recovering, saufte, and getting of thar merchandice. Ibid., Returning fra the saufte and getting of thair saidis merchandice. 1567 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 587 My Lord Regent for the sauftie of the inconvenient and danger quhilk..wes lyke to follow, enterit ane servand of his awin in Ingland. |
b. Saving (of money).
Obs. rare—1.
| 1549 Latimer 2nd Serm. bef. Edw. VI, D iij, But I feare one thynge, and it is: lest for a salfety of a lytle money, you wyll put in chauntrye Pryestes, to saue theyr pentions. |
5. a. The quality of being unlikely to cause or occasion hurt or injury; freedom from dangerousness; safeness.
with safety, without occasioning danger or risk.
| 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Miss S. Chiswell 1 Apr., I am very well satisfied of the safety of the experiment. 1806 Med. Jrnl. XV. 386 If these incisions into the abdomen can be made with safety. 1816 Buddle Let. 1 June in Davy Mem. Sir H. Davy (1836) II. 12 The safety of the lamps is..easily proved by taking them into any part of a mine charged with fire-damp. 1895 Daily Tel. 18 Sept. 4/3, I have found it necessary never to go out shooting with a miscellaneous lot of ‘young men from town’, until I have had a report..as to their safety in the field. |
b. Sureness, steadiness. ?
nonce-use.
| 1841 Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) III. viii. 119, I am, and always have been, a very active person..with great fearlessness and safety of foot and limb. |
6. Engin. factor or
coefficient of safety: see
quots. Now
usu. as
safety factor. (
Cf. safe load,
safe a. 14.)
| 1858 Rankine Man. Appl. Mechanics §247. 274 Factors of Safety are of three kinds. 1868 Humber Strains in Girders 56 Coefficients of Safety are numbers representing the proportions of the ultimate strength of materials to the strains that can safely be brought upon them. 1891 Anglin Design Structures 17 The ratio of the ultimate strength to the working strength is termed the factor of safety of the material. 1909 Webster, Safety factor. 1916 W. H. Molesworth Spons' Electr. Pocket-Bk. 482/1 Safety factor, aerial conductors. 1971 L. Pilborough Inspection of Chem. Plant ii. 16 Factors of safety for many metallic materials at temperatures up to 650°F may vary from 4 to 5 in the U.K. 1973 C. Sagan Cosmic Connection (1975) iii. 17 Its orbit [sc. that of Pioneer 10] was not disturbed by an errant asteroid—the safety factor was estimated as 20 to 1. |
7. Patent Safety (Cab): the original
hansom cab, which was furnished with a contrivance to prevent an upset if the cab tilted up or down.
| 1851 Fraser's Mag. XLIII. 308/2 Hansom's Patent Safety. 1864 F. W. Robinson Mattie II. 25 Dodging the policeman behind a Patent Safety. 1882 Builder 8 July 44/1 The ‘Patent Safety Cab’. |
8. In full
safety-bolt. A contrivance for locking the trigger of a gun, so as to prevent accidental discharge. Also, a gun fitted with this contrivance.
| 1881 Greener Gun 332 The safety is fixed upon strap of break-off. Ibid. 344 A safety bolt is fixed to this gun, which bolts the scears to the triggers. 1884 St. James's Gaz. 25 Aug. 6/2 The old safety-bolts..were never very general favourites. 1892 Greener Breech-Loader 36 A safety,..which bolts the triggers effectually. 1936 Hemingway in Hearst's Internat. Sept. 168/1 He had the safety on and..he lowered the rifle to move the safety over. 1968 K. Weatherly Roo Shooter 11 The shooter picked up the smaller rifle and brought it to his shoulder, flipping the safety off with his thumb. 1972 Shooting Times & Country Mag. 27 May 13/3 Never push the safety off until the moment of shooting. |
9. In full
safety bicycle. Former name for the type of bicycle now in use, differing from the ‘Ordinary’ in the lower position of the saddle, whereby greater safety is afforded to the rider.
Some of the earlier ‘safeties’ had a geared front driving-wheel still much larger than the trailing-wheel. In the present form the driving-wheel is behind, and the two wheels are equal in diameter.
| 1877 Bicycle Jrnl. 4 May 16 Advt., The ‘Challenge’ Bicycle, and the ‘Safety’ Bicycle. 1884 Griffin Bicycles of Yr. 82 The Devon Safety Roadster... One of the oldest and simplest of safety bicycles. 1885 Field 31 Jan. 121/3 Advt., The Club Safety has been constructed so as to contain all the merits of existing ‘Safeties’. |
10. a. (
a)
N. Amer. Football, an act of carrying the ball into one's own end zone; a score of two points awarded against a team for this; (
b)
Polo (see
quots. 1905).
| (a) 1881 Proc. Intercollegiate Conventions Conf. in P. H. Davis Football (1911) 469 If the game still remains a tie the side which makes four or more safeties less than their opponents shall win the game. 1910 W. Camp Bk. of Foot-Ball ii. 54 A ‘safety’ is made when a side are so sorely pressed that they carry the ball behind their own goal line. 1941 Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress 14 Jan. 11 If a legal forward pass is incomplete in the offensive team's end zone, it is to be ruled an incompleted pass instead of a safety. 1950 Chicago Tribune 26 Feb. 20/2 A blocked kick and safety can be credited against him. 1972 J. Mosedale Football iv. 48 The ball hit a goal post and was ruled a safety—the winning margin. |
| (b) 1905 T. F. Dale Polo xvi. 309 Whenever a player either accidentally or intentionally gives the ball an impetus with his mallet which carries the ball over the goal line he is defending, and it touches nothing except the goal-post or the ground after leaving his mallet, it shall be deemed a safety. Ibid. 310 A safety (an excellent word, by the way, to define what we describe as a hit behind to save their goal by the defending side) counts as -1/4. 1931 ‘Marco’ Introd. Polo ii. iv. 72 In America, hitting the ball over one's own line is called hitting a ‘safety’; since it is occasionally safer to do this when one can't clear the ball, than to leave it in position for a certain goal to be scored. 1959 Times 3 Aug. 2/1 Lucas managed to force in a safety and this was followed by Harper's run. 1973 H. Disston Beginning Polo x. 119 ‘Technical’ fouls, such as hitting the ball behind your own goal line (a safety). |
b. ellipt. for
safety match.
| 1900 J. Vaizey About Peggy Saville v. 31, I..go in for safeties, which ‘strike only on the box’. 1927 R. A. Knox Three Taps iv. 39 That match worries me... Those are ordinary safeties. This is a smaller kind. 1938 S. Beckett Murphy xii. 263 Whether..it was a Brymay safety that exploded the mixture, or a wax vesta. |
c. Baseball. A safe hit.
| 1905 Sporting Life 9 Sept. 2/3 Harry whaled away at the ball and hit it on a line over short stop for a safety. 1917 C. Mathewson Second Base Sloan 105 Billy White led off with a safety to left. 1931 Randolph Enterprise (Elkins, W. Virginia) 9 July 5/3 The locals hammered out 15 hits on the first contest while the visitors collected eight safeties. 1968 Washington Post 4 July c2/8 Pappas..gave up six safeties in the seven innings he pitched. 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 5 July 3-c/1 Carlos Pimental and Scott Meade led Billings' 12-hit attack with three safeties apiece. |
d. ellipt. for
safety razor in 11.
| 1924 Kipling Debits & Credits (1926) 165 ‘You could with a Safety, though,’ said Anthony. And, indeed..one might have shaved in it with comfort. 1925 Punch (Almanack No.) 2 Nov. p. iv, When you decided to use a ‘safety’, instead of the old solid hollow-ground razor, why did you do so? 1932 D. L. Sayers Have his Carcase iv. 62 A young man who had so much difficulty with his razor would be more likely to change over to a safety and use a new blade every few days. |
e. N. Amer. Football.
ellipt. for
safety man (b) in 11.
| 1931 K. K. Rockne Coaching iii. 19 The safety who always catches the punts, but never brings them back very far is more valuable than the ‘flash’ who brings them back quite a distance, but is inclined to fumble. 1969 Eugene (Oregon) Register-Guard 3 Dec. 1d/2 Washington State's Eric Dahl was supposed to be the top sophomore defensive back, but in retrospect, the writers should have given that nod to UCLA's 5-9 safety, Ron Carver. 1976 Honolulu Star-Bull. 21 Dec. h3/1 ‘You can't cry over spilled milk,’ said Chuck Foreman. ‘We're just glad we're going to be there.’ Minnesota strong safety Jeff Wright concurred. |
f. N. Amer. A metal-ringed outlet for a stove-pipe in the roof of a tent, etc.
| 1962 M. E. Murie Two in Far North i. iv. 40 The pipes from the many stoves went out through the roofs through galvanized-iron drums called ‘safeties’. 1968 C. Helmericks Down Wild River North i. v. 83 You could hear a breeze sigh across the tent, rattling the tin safety against the little stove pipe. |
11. attrib. Used very freely since
c 1800 as a specific designation for contrivances for ensuring safety, or for implements, machines, etc., constructed with a view to safety in use; as
safety arch,
safety bar,
safety barrier,
safety bell,
safety buoy,
safety car,
safety carabiner,
safety cartridge,
safety device,
safety equipment,
safety gun,
safety harness,
safety hook,
safety inkstand,
safety keel,
safety line,
safety lintel,
safety lock,
safety-mechanism,
safety plug,
safety rail,
safety rein,
safety rope,
safety seat,
safety sling,
safety snap,
safety spring,
safety strap, etc.; also designating items of protective clothing, as
safety boot,
safety helmet,
safety jacket,
safety shoe,
safety suit;
gen., as
safety code,
safety margin,
safety measure,
safety regulation,
safety standard;
safety-conscious,
safety-related adjs.;
safety belt, a protective or restraining belt;
spec. (
a) a belt in an aeroplane to hold a passenger in his seat,
esp. on take-off or landing; (
b) a belt in a motor vehicle to hold the wearer in his seat in the event of a collision or emergency stop (
cf. seat belt s.v. seat n. 29);
safety bicycle (see sense 9);
safety boat, a life-boat;
safety bolt (see sense 8);
safety box, (
a) a box with a surface on which safety matches can be ignited; (
b) a safe-deposit box;
safety cab, (
a) (see sense 7); (
b) a tractor cab designed with a view to safety in use;
safety cage, (
a) the wire guard of a safety lamp; (
b) a miner's cage fitted with apparatus to prevent its falling if the rope breaks;
safety car (see
quots.);
safety catch, a catch or stop attached to a mechanical contrivance as a safe-guard,
esp. in hoisting apparatus or on the trigger of a gun;
safety chain, a chain providing additional security;
spec. (
a) a subsidiary chain connecting railway-cars, etc., together; (
b) a chain securing a watch or jewellery to the clothing; (
c) (see
quot. a 1877); (
d) a chain on a door preventing opening beyond a certain point;
safety committee, a committee appointed to deal with safety in a place of work, etc.;
safety curtain: in theatres, a fire-proof curtain which can be lowered to protect the main body of the theatre from fire on or behind the stage;
safety deposit (chiefly
attrib.)
= safe deposit s.v. safe a. 14; so as
v. trans., to place or store in a safe deposit;
safety distance, the distance which suffices to ensure safety;
safety engineer , a person trained in accident prevention and the organization and implementation of (
esp. industrial) safety measures; hence
safety engineering;
safety factor (see sense 6);
safety-film, a slow-burning film specially prepared for cinematographic work;
safety fuse, (
a) a fuse which can be ignited at a safe distance from the charge; (
b)
Electr.: see
fuse n.5;
safety glass, toughened or laminated glass;
safety island,
isle, a traffic island constituting a safety zone:
= refuge n. 3 c;
safety lamp, a miner's lamp the flame of which is so protected that it will not ignite fire-damp (the kind best known is that invented by Sir H. Davy); formerly also called
safe lamp (see
safe a. 14) and
† safety lantern;
safety man, a person responsible for safety;
spec. (
a) a person whose work is to guard a temporarily disused mine-shaft in readiness for the resumption of work; (
b)
N. Amer. Football, the defensive back who plays in the deepest position;
safety match, one which ignites only when rubbed on a prepared surface;
safety net: chiefly in circuses, a net to prevent injury in the event of a fall from a height; also
fig.;
safety officer, a person responsible for safety in a factory, etc.;
safety paper, paper specially prepared to guard against the tampering with or counterfeiting of banknotes, etc.;
safety play, (
a)
Billiards (see sense 1 g); (
b)
Bridge (see
quots.);
† safety plug, (
a) a plug or stopper that allows the quick release of contents when their presence becomes unsafe,
spec. one of fusible metal that melts when the contents become too hot; (
b) an electrical fuse;
safety razor, a razor in which the blade is prevented by a guard from cutting the skin during shaving; also
attrib.;
safety representative, a representative of the workforce on an industrial safety committee;
safety rod Nuclear Engin., a rod of a neutron-absorbing material which can be inserted into a reactor in an emergency to slow or stop the reaction;
safety switch (see
quot. 1940);
safety touch(down) N. Amer. Football = sense 10 a above;
safety tube, a tube specially contrived to furnish outlet or inlet for gases, etc;
safety vault, a vault or strong room for the safe custody of valuables;
safety vent, an outlet affording safety;
spec. = sense 10 f; also
fig.;
safety zone, (
a) an island or part of a road or square where pedestrians may wait in safety for buses, etc.; (
b) an area round the Americas in which warlike activities were to be proscribed during the war of 1939–45; also
transf. Also
safety first,
safety-pin,
safety-valve.
| 1850 Ogilvie, *Safety-arch, a discharging arch. |
| 1963 E. H. Edwards Saddlery xiv. 99 Numerous so-called ‘*safety bars’... These ingenious devices, which were hinged in various ways to open up and release the stirrup leather when occasion demanded, have largely disappeared. |
| 1951 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) iii. 25 *Safety barrier, a net or other contrivance by means of which an aircraft that misses the arresting gear is brought to rest. |
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 2015–18 *Safety-beam, etc. |
| 1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 539/2 *Safety bell on swinging coil (fastened to shutters or doors). |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Safety-belt, Safety-buoy, a swimming belt or buoy, intended as a protection from drowning. 1911 Aero 8 Apr. 6 Safety belt made for monoplanists. 1948 ‘N. Shute’ No Highway iii. 56 Then she pulled out the safety belt from behind the seat and showed him how to clasp it round his body. 1955 Sci. News Let. 17 Sept. 181/1 He would not drive without a safety belt. 1962 Which? Jan. 5/1 Safety belts should really be an integral part of car safety. 1976 S. Barstow Right True End iii. xiii. 195 Now he wants to sit with his mother in front. I lengthen the safety-belt and strap them in together. 1976 P. Cave High Flying Birds iii. 40 Blood pounding in my head and lungs bursting, I was only dimly aware of the safety-belt catch finally coming free to let me float gently towards the surface. |
| 1840 Niles' Reg. 4 Apr. 71/2 Lake, sound and sea going steamers [are] to have an equipment of..*safety boats sufficient to carry all the passengers and crew. 1850 H. Martineau Hist. Peace (1877) III. iv. xiv. 155 Lionel Lukin, the inventor of the safety-boat. 1976 Yachts & Yachting 20 Aug. 369/1 On the first day a race was abandoned..because one safety boat was unserviceable (despite the presence of mark boats and spectator boats which could have doubled as safety boats in an emergency). |
| 1967 Times Rev. Industry Mar. 16/3 Their shoe arose out of their earlier interest in the *safety boot market. 1977 West Briton 25 Aug. 5/2 Mr. Cock..wore safety boots, leather gloves and carried a torch as he climbed down into the tank. |
| 1858 *Safety-buoy [see safety-belt above]. |
| 1902 ‘Mark Twain’ Double-Barrelled Detective Story ii. 131, I hold in my fingers a burnt Swedish match—the kind one rubs on a *safety-box. 1926 J. Black You can't Win x. 133 If I get snared by the bulls they won't know I've got a safety box. |
| 1965 Farmer & Stockbreeder 21 Sept. 58/2 (Advt.), *Safety cab by Clydebuilt... For your positive safety Clydebuilt has enormous structural strength, N.I.A.E. tested under rigorous conditions. 1973 Times 17 Nov. 6/1 All new tractors sold to farmers after September 1, 1975, would have to be fitted with a safety cab in which the noise level did not exceed 90 decibels. |
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 1079 This lamp gives so little light as to tempt rash men to remove its *safety-cage. 1867 W. W. Smyth Coal & Coal-mining 172 A number of inventions, to which the name of safety-cage, in French parachute, has been applied. |
| 1840 Tanner Canals & Rail Roads U.S. 258 *Safety car, a machine which follows or precedes rail-road cars in their passage of inclined planes, and prevents their descent in case of accident to the machinery, or otherwise. 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., Safety-car. See Barney. |
| 1972 D. Haston In High Places xii. 148 Sliding back down the ropes was something of a joke: you just fixed a *safety carabiner and ran down the line. |
| 1881 Greener Gun 505 *Safety cartridges. |
| 1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 75 Various forms of *safety catch and disengaging hooks. a 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl. s.v. Safety Catch, Safety catches attached to the cage are held away from the guides while the weight of the cage hangs on the rope. 1908 Chambers's Jrnl. 26 Dec. 61/2 The door can be opened a few inches and yet be held by the safety-catch. 1928 Daily Mail 31 July 5/3 Thinking the safety-catch was fixed she handled the revolver carelessly and the trigger fell. 1962 Daily Tel. 6 July 1/8 An electronic ‘safety catch’ which could be released only by a coded radio signal from headquarters. 1970 H. Trevelyan Middle East in Revolution 35 He had therefore imposed a limit on trade with the Communists: what he called his safety catch. 1973 ‘R. MacLeod’ Nest of Vultures 8 The gun was a Mauser and the safety catch was off. |
| 1841 C. H. Gregory Managem. Locom. Engine 10 The draw-bar connecting the Engine and Tender must be secure, and the *safety-chains attached. 1845 Business Advertiser & Gen. Directory Chicago 122 Clocks, Jewelry, Gold Safety Chains, Gold Fob Chains. 1851 Illustr. Catal. Gt. Exhib. iii. 674/1 Safety chain brooches, for effectually fastening a lady's dress. a 1877 Knight Dict. Mech. III. 2016/1 Safety-chain, a slack chain which attaches a truck to a car-body and limits the excursions of the former as it slues round. 1965 D. Francis Odds Against x. 138 A nervous grey haired elderly man opened the front door on a safety chain. 1972 M. J. Bosse Incident at Naha i. 23, I called through the door, ‘Who's there?’ and opened it only to the length of the safety chain. 1973 J. Stubbs Dear Laura i. 21, I wonder whether you could not look at the safety chain of my new brooch? 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 30 June 9-d/1 (Advt.), New tow bar and safety chain for pinto Datsun, Toyota, Vega, etc. |
| 1954 (title) Institute of Petroleum Marketing *Safety Code. 1961 Lancet 12 Aug. 365/2 A safety code for workers exposed to ionising radiations in industry is laid down. 1971 Guardian 22 June 6/6 Moving pavements..could become a major form of city transport with the adoption of a new safety code to supersede the existing 2 mph speed limit. |
| 1945 Proc. Inst. Mech. Engin. CLII. 149 Safety engineering is advancing in experience and practice, and is receiving an impetus by the appointment of safety officers and *safety committees by many important firms. |
| 1838 M. Howitt Birds & Fl., House-Sparrow iv, He knows the *safety-distance to an inch. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 5 May 3/1 Two motor-omnibuses require 46 ft. of street with a safety distance of 18 ft. between each of the two omnibuses. |
| 1961 Sunderland Echo 14 Jan. 2/1, 120,000 miners each received a letter from the divisional chairman urging them to be more *safety conscious. 1973 C. Bonington Next Horizon xxi. 291 It seemed bitterly ironic that the person in the team who was, perhaps, the most safety-conscious should have been caught out by this cruel act of fate. |
| 1909 Weekly Budget 21 Aug. 4/6 The *safety curtain at the Lyceum went on strike one evening last week. 1912 Theatreland 11 Oct. 4/2 It was left to his successor, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, to stand sponsor for the iron ‘safety’ curtain. 1974 J. Gardner Return of Moriarty 303 Dr. Night had the stage cleared, the safety curtain lowered. |
| 1891 ‘Mark Twain’ Lett. to Publishers (1967) 280 Yes, the statement was what I wanted... I sent it to Whitmore to be *safety-deposited. 1892 Ibid. 304 As fast as Halsey delivers the securities to you I want you to put them in a box in a Safety Deposit Vault, and keep the key yourself. 1936 L. C. Douglas White Banners v. 86 She maintained a safety deposit-box there which she occasionally visited. 1978 S. Sheldon Bloodline xxxix. 350 A safety-deposit box in Zurich, contents unknown. |
| 1884 Harper's Mag. Dec. 118/1 If the elevator has a *safety device. 1929 Daily Express 7 Nov. 8/4 All the latest safety devices, such as four-wheel or six-wheel brakes, and safety glass. 1971 Reader's Digest Family Guide to Law 580 An employee working in a place from which he could fall more than 6 ft 6 in. must be provided with a safety device, such as fencing, where this is ‘reasonably practicable’. |
| 1934 Webster s.v. Safety adj. 2, *Safety engineers. 1945 Proc. Inst. Mech. Engin. CLII. 166/1 The management of a mechanical engineering works should be just as much safety engineers as those claiming to be specialists in that direction. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XVI. 138/1 The safety engineer is concerned with reducing both the frequency with which accidents occur and the frequency with which they threaten. |
| 1945 *Safety engineering [see safety committee]. 1977 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts CXXV. 668/2 The effective application of safety engineering must go hand in hand with an understanding of management techniques. |
| 1969 *Safety equipment [see chastity belt s.v. chastity 6]. 1971 Reader's Digest Family Guide to Law 612/1 If..the employer can prove that he..provided the necessary safety equipment, he may not have to pay damages. |
| 1928 Daily Mail 25 July 5/5 All the film used is *safety film. 1959 W. S. Sharps Dict. Cinematogr. 84/2 Cellulose acetate base.., a slow burning safety film base. 1981 Daily Tel. 10 Feb. 12/4 We have been able to keep up to schedule because we stockpiled safety film when the price was low. |
| 1839 H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornwall, etc. xv. 575 Accidents, however, are frequent..notwithstanding the invention of the *safety-fuse. |
| 1922 Tatler 4 Oct. p. xii. (Advt.), Another striking testimony for the Triplex *Safety Glass. 1935 [see armoured ppl. a. 3]. 1950 Engineering 10 Feb. 167/3 The cab is..fitted with safety-glass windows. 1964 L. Deighton Funeral in Berlin xix. 111 The safety glass shattered into milky opacity. |
| 1884 St. James's Gaz. 25 Aug. 6/2 *Safety-guns..have now been brought to a high pitch of perfection. |
| 1920 Flight 9 Sept. 978/2 Attention is drawn to the necessity of ensuring that the fitting and maintenance of *safety belts and harness in aircraft is secure and functions properly. 1937 C. Boff Boys' Bk. of Flying xvii. 185 The pupil, in the rear cockpit, held the aeroplane on its back, with the startled instructor, in the front cockpit, holding on for dear life... His safety harness should have been properly secured, but it wasn't. 1972 D. Francis Smokescreen i. 7, I sat in the driving seat of a..sports car... [It] would not start until the safety harness was fastened. |
| 1961 J. H. Goodier Dict. Painting & Decorating 247 Modern *safety helmets are often made from resin bonded fibreglass, with a head harness of polythene. 1973 Daily Tel. 6 June 14/1 Britain's turbanned Sikh motor-cyclists are not alone in having problems with the new law making it compulsory for riders to wear crash helmets (sorry, safety helmets). |
| 1875 R. F. Martin tr. Havrez' Winding Mach. 95 Good *safety hooks will hold up the cage, but they allow the rope to be hurt. |
| 1869 J. C. Patteson Let. 24 Nov. in C. M. Yonge Life J.C. Patteson (1874) II. xi. 391 Patent *safety inkstands—these things are useful on board ship. 1873 C. M. Yonge Pillars of House II. xx. 180 Felix..his safety ink-stand planted in the sand. |
| 1933 Sun (Baltimore) 4 Apr. 3/4 A few years ago *safety islands were placed in the middle of some of Cambridge's principal thoroughfares to safeguard the lives of pedestrians. 1965 J. Von Sternberg Fun in Chinese Laundry vii. 189, I met the man..on one of the safety islands for pedestrians in the middle of Piccadilly Circus. |
| 1934 Transit Jrnl. Nov. 437/1 Serious accidents in which fast moving automobiles crashed into the ends of *safety isles in Baltimore. 1971 Rand Daily Mail (Home Owner) 27 Mar. 16/4 (Advt.), Wetlook diving suits... *Safety jackets. 1976 A. Price War Game i. 46 There was a cowman in the road ahead, bright in his orange-banded safety jacket. |
| 1874 Thearle Naval Archit. 53 The late Mr. Lang introduced what were termed ‘*safety keels’ and are now known as ‘thick garboards’. |
| 1816 Waldie Let. 25 Mar. in Paris Life Davy (1831) II. 110 The great and important discovery of your *Safety-lamp for exploring mines charged with inflammable gas. |
| 1815 Davy in Phil. Trans. CVI. 14 The second *safety lantern that I have had made is upon the same principle as the first. |
| 1957 R. G. Collomb Dict. Mountaineering 134 *Safety Line, an independent rope attached to a climber's waistline when he is making an abseil. 1973 C. Bonington Next Horizon xix. 262 Alastair Newman had swum across first and McLeod followed, after tying on a safety-line. |
| 1850 Ogilvie, *Safety-lintel, a name given to the wooden lintel which is placed behind a stone lintel, in the aperture of a door or window. |
| a 1877 Knight Dict. Mech. III. 2017/1 *Safety-lock. 1. (Lock). A lock so contrived as not to be opened by a picklock or without the proper key... 2. (Fire-arms.) One provided with a stop or catch to prevent accidental discharge. 1970 Which? July 217/1 Most had a safety lock to prevent you exposing the film by accident. |
| 1928 Sunday Dispatch 23 Dec. 3/4 These officials, known as ‘*safety men’, will eat their dinner in semi-darkness hundreds of feet below the surface of the earth. 1929 Daily Express 7 Nov. 2/4 ‘Although,’ she said, ‘I am not a safety man myself, I have lived twenty-five years with a safety man, so I think I may claim to know a little how things work.’ 1931 K. K. Rockne Coaching iii. 19 In catching punts the safety man stands with both feet flat on the ground. 1962 C. Forsyte Diving Death xx. 161 As Left began to get into his diving things again he wished..that somebody could be left in the boat as safety man. 1972 J. Mosedale Football ix. 135 He scored from four yards out, running straight over the safety man. |
| 1967 W. Soyinka Kongi's Harvest 40 Five minutes. That's enough of a *safety margin isn't it? It had better be! |
| 1863 Abel in Lond. etc. Philos. Mag. Nov. 357 Varieties..of so-called ‘*safety matches’. 1866 Brande & Cox Dict. Sci. etc. s.v. Lucifers, Such matches, as not being affected by accidental friction, and as being free from poison, are called safety matches. |
| 1934 Webster s.v. Safety adj. 2, *Safety measures. 1959 Petroleum Handbk. (ed. 4) 379 The safety measures at installations and depots are..based on the elimination of all possible sources of ignition from all areas where dangerous concentrations of petroleum vapours are at all likely. 1977 P. Johnson Enemies of Society xv. 197 The technique of all-purpose explanation is completed by another *safety-mechanism. |
| 1950 P. Tempest Lag's Lexicon 183 *Safety net, the steel nets spread across the hall, from landing to landing on the first floor, to prevent accidents, attempts at homicide, suicide, etc. 1953 Economist 11 July 87/1 A genuine flexibility, ‘worked out’ in the market, is compatible with the security of floor prices, or more accurately of ‘safety net’ prices that would protect the farmer against serious losses. 1958 Spectator 22 Aug. 249/3 Acrobatic tricks no commercial management would risk without a safety net. 1965 ‘W. Haggard’ Hard Sell iv. 45 The fire chief was speaking into the walkie-talkie.. and men were running with a safety net. They spread it and held it. 1971 Guardian 29 July 11/6 An open invitation..to let costs rise in expectation of a taxpayers' safety net. 1974 G. Mitchell Javelin for Jonah xi. 137 He had been with a travelling circus..but they dismissed him... He had begun to insist on having a safety-net for his act. 1978 D. A. Stanwood Memory of Eva Ryker xxiii. 215 It'll be the first time..without Dr. Stanford's help... A triple somersault, with no safety net. |
| 1939 Engineering 18 Aug. 215/2 The Chief Inspector of Factories..was prepared to call together a committee representing makers of presses,..*safety officers,..and factory inspectors. 1972 Classification of Occupations (Dept. Employment) II. 78/1 Safety officer. Advises on industrial safety and organises and co-ordinates accident prevention and safety measures within an organisation. 1976 Guardian 15 Apr. 1/4 The firm's safety officers wearing breathing apparatus went down the tunnel..to see that all the men had escaped. |
| 1851 Illustr. Catal. Gt. Exhib. iii. 540/1 White and coloured *safety paper for bankers' cheques. 1967 Karch & Buber Offset Processes 553 Safety Paper, paper treated usually by printing a design in a light tint which protects the sheet against forgery. |
| 1896 *Safety play [see balk n.1 9]. 1959 Listener 3 Sept. 370/1 The safety play, properly so called, is a play that risks the loss of a trick which can be spared to guard against the possible loss of a trick which cannot be spared. 1964 Official Encycl. Bridge 481/2 A safety play is the play of a suit in such a manner as to protect against an abnormal or bad break in that suit, thereby either eliminating or minimizing the danger of losing the contract. 1977 Cleethorpes News 6 May 29/4 Sid's superb safety play in this last frame..stood him in good stead. |
| 1837 P. Nicholson Pract. Masonry ii. viii. 145 In the case..of any choking up of the connection-pipes, the stoker has merely to lift the *safety-plugs, and clear out the pipes, by introducing a rod of iron into them. 1869 Appleby's Illustr. Handbk. Machinery & Iron Work p. xiii/1 (Index), Safety plugs, fusible. 1882 Engineering 7 July 11/3 Every lamp in the electrolier has its safety plug. 1887 Ibid. 11 Nov. 503/2 The fusible safety plug illustrated..has been adopted by the South Wales and Monmouthshire Boiler Insurance Company. 1890 J. W. Urquhart Electr. Light Fitting v. 163 The usual safety plugs are marked with the number of ampères of current they can carry without fusion. 1923 Power Engineer XVIII. 475/2 (heading) Safety plug for heavy oil engines. |
| 1828 Lights & Shades II. 103 The front [of the pigeon-holes in the theatre- gallery] is provided with a *safety-rail. 1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 154/2 Check rail.., a third rail laid on a curve alongside the inner rail and spaced a little from it, to safeguard rolling-stock against derailment due to excessive thrust on the outer rail. Also called..safety rail. 1964 Eng. Stud. XLV. 23 A pulpit is a raised safety-rail in the bows of a yacht or motor cruiser. |
| a 1877 Knight Dict. Mech. III. 2018/1 *Safety-razor. 1903 Hardwareman 11 July 53 (Advt.), Something new in safety razors. 1921 A. Huxley Crome Yellow xxiv. 262 The packet of safety-razor blades. 1973 ‘R. MacLeod’ Nest of Vultures 8 The fair-haired man had shaved that morning. A safety razor shave by the smooth shine of his cheeks. |
| 1956 A. Toynbee Historian's Approach to Relig. xviii. 238 The need for *safety-regulations would not be eliminated if atomic power were to be applied exclusively to pacific and beneficent uses. 1971 Reader's Digest Family Guide to Law 580/1 Employees must observe safety regulations so that they do not endanger themselves or other workers. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 28 Aug. 9/1 General Motors Corp. has been ordered to..pay a $400,000 penalty to the United States for refusing to notify owners of a *safety-related defect. 1977 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts CXXV. 676/2 *Safety representatives will have the legal right to paid time off from work for undertaking these functions and for undergoing training for them. |
| 1950 Chem. & Engin. News 4 Dec. 4257 The Argonne heavy water reactor is equipped with two control rods, two *safety rods, and three shim rods. The safety and control rods are each formed of a 3·5-inch tubular sandwich of 1/32-inch cadmium placed between two aluminium tubes. 1971 New Scientist 13 May 389/1 The safety rods of a nuclear reactor are for use in emergencies when the neutron flux within the reactor core has to be immediately reduced. |
| 1845 Times 31 July 1/5 Carriage for the Continent.—A Travelling Britzska, with every possible travelling appendage, namely eight trunks and imperials, two drag shoes and staff, *safety ropes, pair and four horse bars, solid flap and German shutter. 1935 Discovery Mar. 73/1 For the descent..it is essential..to make constant use of the safety-rope. 1975 G. Moffat Miss Pink xii. 168 He wouldn't have fallen backwards... The safety rope would have held him. |
| 1966 Observer 17 Apr. 21/3 The most hopeful sign is the emergence of the ‘*safety seat’,..bolted firmly to the floor, with belts built-in. 1976 Star (Sheffield) 26 Nov. (Advt.), K. L. Jeenay Safety Seat. {pstlg}8. |
| 1943 Sun (Baltimore) 31 Mar. 13/2 A worker will be required to fill in a form showing..that the employer does not furnish *safety shoes to him, that he needs the shoes to protect his health and safety [etc.]. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XVI. 144/1 Safety shoes have been developed for protection in a wide variety of situations. 1974 H. MacInnes Climb to Lost World xi. 192, I had a karabiner and *safety sling running on the other rope. |
| 1862 *Safety spring [see bradoon]. 1960 B.S.I. News June 8/2 Finally, Mr. NcNeill considered the question of ‘*safety’ standards. 1976 ‘R. B. Dominic’ Murder out of Commission i. 7 You're in the Atomic Energy Commission... You can bring Ben up to date on safety standards. |
| a 1877 Knight Dict. Mech. III. 2018/2 *Safety-strap.., an extra back band passing over the seat of a gig-saddle..; used as a safeguard on light trotting harness. 1938 R. G. Collingwood Princ. Art xi. 240 The child's finding itself..wheeled about in a perambulator with a safety-strap round its waist. 1963 Amer. Speech XXXVIII. 207 The safety straps that are snapped or tied..from the ski to the boot to prevent run-away skis. |
| 1917 Chambers's Jrnl. Oct. 702/2 A recently-invented life-saving apparatus, known as the ‘ever-warm *safety-suit’, goes far towards removing this danger. 1974 Times 21 Feb. 3/4 (Advt.), Safety suits. |
| 1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 293/2 Emergency stop, a switch installed in a lift-car, or other similar piece of equipment, by means of which the power to the operating motor can be cut off. Also called a *safety switch. 1944 Engineering 8 Sept. 192/3 Investigation..revealed that some time previously the safety switch had failed. |
| 1815 Davy in Phil. Trans. CVI. 12, I had another chimney fitted to this lantern, furnished with a number of *safety tin-plate tubes. |
| 1904 ‘R. Connor’ Prospector 38 With a brilliant series of passes the 'Varsity quarters and halves work the ball through the McGill twenty-five line, and by following hard a high punt, force the captain to a *safety touch. 1958 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. 7 Aug. 7/2 Flying wing Jack Hill..booted three converts while guard Don Walsh picked up two points on a safety touch. 1970 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 25 Sept. 33/3 The Panthers conceded a safety touch for Humberside's other points. |
| 1887 Century Mag. XXXIV. 889/2 A ‘*safety’ touch-down counts two points against the side which makes it. 1957 Encycl. Brit. IX. 472/2 No penalty was attached to the safety touchdown until 1881. |
| 1841 Brande Chem. (ed. 5) 480 The escape of any uncondensed gas [should be] provided for by a *safety-tube. |
| 1846 T. L. McKenney Mem. I. 26 One set [of vouchers was] for the Treasury Department, one for my office proper, and the third for a *safety vault. 1902 A. D. McFaul Ike Glidden xvii. 129 The safe suddenly became the people's depository and safety vault. 1963 Times Lit. Suppl. 26 Apr. 297/2 Using his diary as a *safety-vent. 1968 C. Helmericks Down Wild River North i. vi. 86 The little stovepipe rattled and scratched against the tin safety vent of the tent. |
| 1915 Policeman's Monthly Oct. 3/2 (caption) *Safety zone at near-side car stop, Detroit. 1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 8 Apr. 9/4 Mr. E. S. Harris asked the board to make some provision for ‘safety zones’ on the busiest streets of Victoria. 1939 Daily Tel. 18 Dec. 7/2 The safety zone would help the Allies, by keeping German submarines out of, roughly, a third of the Atlantic. 1940 J. Betjeman Old Lights for New Chancels 56, I will labour for Thy Kingdom, Help our lads to win the war, Send white feathers to the cowards Join the Women's Army Corps, Then wash the Steps around Thy Throne In the Eternal Safety Zone. |
▪ II. safety, v. orig. and chiefly
U.S. (
ˈseɪftɪ)
[f. safety n.] trans. a. Aeronaut. To secure (an aircraft component,
esp. a nut) against loosening due to vibration.
b. Weaponry. To apply the safety-bolt or safety-catch of (a weapon,
esp. a firearm) (
cf. safety n. 8).
c. gen. To make safe; to secure against failure, hazard, or damage.
| 1927 C. Lindbergh We vi. 104, I removed the rubber band safetying the belt. 1956 W. A. Heflin U.S. Air Force Dict. 452/1 Safety,..to secure an aircraft part against loosening from vibration; specif., to secure a nut by a wire or cotter pin. 1976 Lebende Sprachen XXI. 150/2 In order to meet the exceptionally high equipment requirements, the manufacturer should consider safetying the thumbscrews with CRES lockwire. 1978 B. Share Emergency 105 Gun button safetied. 1980 Bent & McKinley Aircraft Maintenance & Repair (ed. 4) xv. 502/1 When a cotter pin is installed to safety a castle nut, the pin is placed through the grooves in the castellated portion of the nut and through the drilled hole in the shank of the bolt. 1984 Back Stage 23 Nov. 10b/1 When you're shooting in a public area with limited space, accidents are always a possibility. Cables must be secured, lights must be triple-safetied, and gear must be constantly checked for vibration damage. |
Hence
ˈsafetied ppl. a.;
ˈsafetying vbl. n. (in
quot. 1977, ‘acting as safety man’ (
U.S. Football)).
| 1956 W. A. Heflin U.S. Air Force Dict. 452/1 Safetied, a. 1977 Washington Post 24 May iv. 6/4 Ken Houston..has made himself at home here with his solid citizenship and all-pro safetying. 1980 Bent & McKinley Aircraft Maintenance & Repair (ed. 4) xv. 502/2 The double-twist method of safetying should normally be used. Ibid., Thus, the safety wire should be applied so it will tend to tighten the item safetied. 1989 Brantford (Ontario) Expositor 14 Mar. d3/5 Extended warranty, new tires, safetied. |