French safe
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From French + safe. Compare earlier French letter. Attested from the mid 19th century.
Noun[edit]
French safe (plural French safes)
- (colloquial, euphemistic) A condom.
- 1877, “What a Latin prescription did”, in Cincinnati Lancet & Observer[1], volume 20, page 713:
- The druggist examined the ets and the cuis in it, and felt sure he knew just what the doctor wanted — proceeded to fill the order, and a French safe was nicely folded up and put in a suitable box labelled “use as directed” and handed to the young lady
- 1982, David Helwig, The Rain Falls Like Rain, page 183:
- Ashes, ashes. A used French safe / is blown across the city sidewalk.
- 2002, Wes Pipe, Memories of Mines[2], page 1:
- We had this daily tournament, to see who could snag, the most French safes with his stick. A French safe is a condom, don’t ask me where the name comes from.
References[edit]
- “French, adj. and n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2009.
