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

It was a safety match, so nothing happened.

From Witch-Doctors by Charles Beadle

To-day the safety match, certain and odorless, is sold at one-tenth of this price.

From Inventors by Philip Gengembre Hubert

"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

“Have sent,” said his entertainer briefly, as he filled a pipe from the open tobacco box and struck a safety match.

From Found in the Philippines The Story of a Woman's Letters by Charles King