safety match

American  

noun

1. a match designed to ignite only when rubbed on a specially prepared surface.

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safety match British  

noun

1. a match that will light only when struck against a specially prepared surface

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Etymology

Origin of safety match

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

safety match

She struck a safety match, and flames roared 20 feet into the air, until only her two out stretched hands were visible.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Bless my safety match, Tom!" cried the old man.

From Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel, or, the Hidden City of the Andes by Victor [pseud.] Appleton

The so-called safety match of the present time was invented in the year 1855.

From Artificial Light Its Influence upon Civilization by Matthew Luckiesh

It was a night wherein a hundred searchlights and a million star-flares would not have made more impression on the density of the fog than would the striking of a safety match.

From Bruce by Albert Payson Terhune

The outside cover of a small safety match box is given to the first man on each team.

From School, Church, and Home Games by George Orrin Draper