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

Another fault of the safety match is its small size; it is apt to be entirely consumed before the fire can be started.

From Woodcraft by Kreps, E. H. (Elmer Harry)

As soon as the long, tarred safety match was laid, it was lighted on a level with the ground.

From The Underground City, or, the Child of the Cavern by Verne, Jules

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 Terhune, Albert Payson

THE safety match that resists all other friction needs only the touch of its peculiar mate to break into flame.

From What Will People Say? A novel by Hughes, Rupert