safe as houses



safe as houses

Totally secure, as in If you buy Treasury bonds, your money will be safe as houses but you won't get a large return . In today's security-conscious climate, where alarm systems to deter housebreaks have become increasingly common, this simile may seem puzzling. Presumably it uses house in the sense of "a shelter from the elements." [Late 1800s]
See also: house, safe

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Philander-English (Archaic), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Senta-German
JÖRgen-Swedish
LyricLIR-ikEnglish (Modern)
Armstrong['a:mstrɔŋ]
Placidus-Late Roman