safety valve

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See also: safety-valve

English

WOTD – 10 July 2023

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From safety +‎ valve.

Noun

safety valve (plural safety valves)

  1. A valve set to open at a pressure below that at which a container holding a gas, vapour, etc. (such as a boiler or pressure cooker), would burst, thus reducing the pressure; a relief valve.
    • 1941 April, “British Locomotive Developments”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 173:
      Spun glass mattresses are used for lagging the boiler, which has three Ross pop safety valves on the front ring.
    • 1959 April, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 185:
      [A]nd to show that there was no shortage of steam, Royal Scot, directly we stopped, blew off vigorously from its safety-valves steam that well might have been used in the cylinders in the interest of timekeeping.
  2. (by extension) A valve set to close a container holding a gas or vapour to prevent excessive loss of pressure.
  3. (figuratively) Any mechanism offering relief from physical or emotional pressure or tension.
    Synonyms: outlet, release
    • 1840, F[rederick] M[arryat], “Diary on the Continent. Chapter XIX.”, in Olla Podrida. , volume I, London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, , →OCLC, pages 205–206:
      […] I have often thought that it was a great error in our legislature when they consented to put down the public lotteries in England. I am convinced that they were beneficial, acting as safety-valves to the gambling spirit of the nation, and that their prohibition has been productive of much crime and misery.
    1. (US, law) A United States law, codified at 18 United States Code §3553(f), authorizing a judge to disregard mandatory minimum sentences for some criminals with few or no prior offenses.
Alternative forms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

See safety-valve.

Verb

safety valve (third-person singular simple present safety valves, present participle safety valving, simple past and past participle safety valved)

  1. Alternative form of safety-valve

References

  1. ^ “safety valve, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2023.
  2. ^ “safety valve, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, reproduced from Stuart Berg Flexner, editor in chief, Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Random House, 1993, →ISBN.

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