security blanket

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.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Aku	AH-koo	Finnish
&Aelig;Thelfl&Aelig;D	-	Anglo-Saxon
Hine	HEE-ne	Maori
Karan	['kærən]
Lovrenco	-	Croatian (Rare)
Thi	-	Vietnamese