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Synonyms

life preserver

American  

noun

  1. a buoyant jacket, belt, or other like device for keeping a person afloat.

  2. British Slang. a weapon, especially a short stick with a weighted head; blackjack.

life preserver British  

noun

  1. a club or bludgeon, esp one kept for self-defence

  2. a life belt or life jacket

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of life preserver

First recorded in 1630–40

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.