View synonyms for security blanket

security blanket

noun

a blanket or other familiar item carried especially by a young child to provide reassurance and a feeling of psychological security.
someone or something that gives a person a sense of protection or a feeling of security:
His wealthy uncle is his security blanket.

security blanket

noun

a policy of temporary secrecy by police or those in charge of security, in order to protect a person, place, etc, threatened with danger, from further risk
a baby's blanket, soft toy, etc, to which a baby or young child becomes very attached, using it as a comforter
informal.
anything used or thought of as providing reassurance

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Word History and Origins

Origin of security blanket¹

First recorded in 1965–70

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Idioms and Phrases

Something that dispels anxiety, as in I always carry my appointments calendar; it's my security blanket . This colloquial term, dating from about 1960, was at first (and still is) used for the blanket or toy or other object held by a young child to reduce anxiety.

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Example Sentences

With Mikkelsen as his security blanket, Arcel could cast the other two roles with new faces.

From The Daily Beast

I don't like it any more than you do, disliking Bush was my ideological security blanket.

From The Daily Beast

I like that The Aniston spent the first three years after her breakup walking around wrapped in a giant pashmina security blanket.

From The Daily Beast

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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