Literary notes about Safe (AI summary)
In literature, “safe” carries a wide array of meanings that often extend beyond mere physical protection to evoke emotional security and reliability. Its use can denote a tangible state of being secure, as when characters are shielded from physical danger or kept in trusted custody ([1], [2], [3]), while also serving as a metaphor for moral or divine favor that guarantees a secure passage through life’s perils ([4], [5]). Authors sometimes employ “safe” to articulate certainty in reasoning or method, suggesting that a conclusion or action is beyond dispute ([6], [7]). Even in humorous or ironic contexts, the word underscores a cautious approach to risk or the assurance of well-being ([8], [9]). This rich versatility makes “safe” a potent term that enhances both the literal and figurative dimensions of narrative.
- But Roy and Christine had made it very safe now.
— from Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery - "Another object of virtue for the safe custody of the Karun!"
— from The Best Short Stories of 1917, and the Yearbook of the American Short Story - ‘Safe and sound,’ replied the man with the ash stick.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - And while the favouring gods our steps survey, Safe to Pelides' tent conduct my way.
— from The Iliad by Homer - Farewell, sweet virgins, on whose safe return Depends our city, liberty, and lives.
— from Tamburlaine the Great — Part 1 by Christopher Marlowe - It is a safe inference from the connexion of the names that Apphia was the wife of Philemon [678] .
— from St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon by J. B. Lightfoot - “Everything goes on capitally, my dear Monsieur Bernouin, but here is a man whom I must beg you to put in a safe place.”
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - I think it's safe to say that if my handlers knew that I was typing this, my ass would be stuck in Gitmo-by-the-Bay until I was an old woman.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - keep out of harm's way, keep out of troubled waters; keep at a respectful distance, stand aloof; keep on the safe side, be on the safe side.
— from Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget
