safety-pin

[ seyf-tee-pin ]

/ ˈseɪf tiˌpɪn /

to secure or affix with a safety pin: to safety-pin a child's mittens to his coat sleeve.

Origin of safety-pin

First recorded in 1915–20

safety pin

a pin bent back on itself to form a spring, with a guard to cover the point.

First recorded in 1855–60

It was a massive hit, and the safety-pin dress a brilliant cartoonish cherry on top of it.

Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress |Tim Teeman |December 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
These badges are seven eighths of an inch wide and are made either for the button-hole or with safety-pin clasp.

Boy Scouts Handbook |Boy Scouts of America
The safety-pin is an object which may well occupy our attention for a moment.

The Heritage of Dress |Wilfred Mark Webb
The cord is tied to the safety-pin, and the jerk releases the pin.

The Thick of the Fray at Zeebrugge |Percy F. Westerman

Crown the little girl with the head-dress, pinning the ends together at the back with a safety-pin.

Little Folks' Handy Book |Lina Beard
A coil or two in the metal acted as a spring, as in the case of the safety-pin, and prevented breakage.

The Heritage of Dress |Wilfred Mark Webb

safety pin

a spring wire clasp with a covering catch, made so as to shield the point when closed and to prevent accidental unfastening

another word for pin (def. 9)