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security

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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

security against something

something that keeps something safe; something that protects; a protection. Insurance provides security against the financial losses owing to theft, loss, or damage. A good education is a security against unemployment.

See also: security

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

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

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.

See also: blanket, security