security blanket

American  

noun

1. a blanket or other familiar item carried especially by a young child to provide reassurance and a feeling of psychological security.

2. someone or something that gives a person a sense of protection or a feeling of security.

   His wealthy uncle is his security blanket.

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security blanket British  

noun

1. 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

2. a baby's blanket, soft toy, etc, to which a baby or young child becomes very attached, using it as a comforter

3. informal anything used or thought of as providing reassurance

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security blanket Idioms  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of security blanket

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The Hurricanes punished him all night, sometimes legally, sometimes questionably, but he stayed composed, turning to unheralded receiver Charlie Becker as a security blanket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

He wouldn’t have the same security blanket at USC.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

While premiums have gone up in recent years, and coverage maxes out at $250,000, the program still constitutes a security blanket on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where coverage rates are high.

From Slate • Oct. 9, 2024

One of the game’s best route runners, the dependable Cooper is a security blanket for Watson and P.J.

From Washington Times • Nov. 2, 2023

A regular landline dial tone, reaching out from the past like a security blanket, a sign that the world beyond this fence still exists.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed