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lull

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lull before the storm

 and calm before the storm

a quiet period just before a period of great activity or excitement. (Literal in reference to weather.) It was very quiet in the cafeteria just before the students came in for lunch. It was the lull before the storm. In the brief calm before the storm, the clerks prepared themselves for the doors to open and bring in thousands of shoppers.

See also: before, lull, storm

lull someone into a false sense of security

Cliché to lead someone into believing that all is well before attacking or doing someone bad. We lulled the enemy into a false sense of security by pretending to retreat. Then we launched an attack. The boss lulled us into a false sense of security by saying that our jobs were safe and then let half the staff go.

See also: false, lull, of, security, sense

lull (someone or an animal) to sleep

to quiet and comfort someone or an animal to sleep. The sound of the waves lulled me to sleep. The dog's heartbeat lulled her puppies to sleep.

See also: lull, sleep

lull you into something/doing something

to make you feel calm or safe when it is not reasonable to feel this way His confidence lulled me into thinking things were somehow going to work out.

Usage notes: often used with the phrase a false sense of security (a feeling that everything is under control when it really is not): Don't let the computer lull you into a false sense of security – there are still lots of ways for you to make mistakes.

See also: lull

the lull before the storm

See: the calm before the storm

See also: before, lull, storm

lull somebody into a false sense of security

  also give somebody a false sense of security

to make someone feel safe when they are not Wearing suntan lotion can lull people into a false sense of security and make them spend longer in the sun than they should.

See also: false, lull, of, security, sense

lull into

Deceive into trustfulness, as in The steadily rising market lulled investors into a false sense of security. The earliest recorded version of this term referred to wine: "Fitter indeed to bring and lull men asleep in the bed of security" (Philemon Holland, Pliny's Historie of the World, 1601. Today it still often appears with the phrase a false sense of security.

See also: lull