What does safety-valve mean?
Safety-valve means Sometimes followed by off:.
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/ˈseɪftɪˌvælv/ · verb
Sometimes followed by off:.
[…] I have often thought that it was a great error in our legislature when they consented to put down the public lotteries in England. I am convinced that they were beneficial, acting as safety-valves to the gambling spirit of the nation, and that their prohibition has been productive of much crime and misery.
Use safety-valve when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Safety-valve means Sometimes followed by off:.
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
[…] I have often thought that it was a great error in our legislature when they consented to put down the public lotteries in England. I am convinced that they were beneficial, acting as safety-valves to the gambling spirit of the nation, and that their prohibition has been productive of much crime and misery.
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