What Does It Really Mean to Be “Safe and Sound”?

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Ever since I can remember, homonyms have confused me.

Now, if you don’t know what a homonym is, you don’t have to jump to another page to Google it.

Simply put, two words are considered homonyms when they sound exactly the same but have different meanings. They might have the same or different spellings.

My first encounter with homonyms was when I was around 3. I was in the car with my mother when a story came on the radio about a serial killer.

Obviously, being 3, I had no idea of what a serial killer was, so I went on a tangent of my own and made a different assumption.

I asked my mother, “Why is there a man going around killing cereals and cornflakes?”

You could tell that I wasn’t the most read kid at 3, but, again, who was?

Anyway, my mom laughed and told me that I had it all wrong. She then went on to give an explanation that could quench the curiosity of a 3-year old.

I honestly don’t remember what she said.

The point is that homonyms can lead you down misleading paths.

This becomes an even bigger problem when one of the definitions is more popular than the other.

For instance, the expression “safe and sound” used to confuse me a lot till recently. After all, what did safety have to do with sound and noise? Or, so I thought.
 

What is the meaning of “safe and sound”?

“To be Safe and sound” means to be undamaged or whole. It’s something you say when someone has made it unscathed through an ordeal of sorts or through a trip.

 

How to Use The Expression “safe and sound” in more detail

Here are a couple of examples to better understand the real meaning of “safe and sound.”

Example

The above sentence is letting us know that the campers returned to their homes in one piece without any injuries.

Again, same thing. The implication here is that the girls had a good trip with no accidents and no problems. They arrived at New York in perfect health.

Interestingly, “safe and sound” doesn’t only have to apply to people. You could use it when talking about animals, inanimate objects, and even abstract things.

 

When not to use the expression safe and sound

One thing you might have noticed is that we don’t describe something as safe and sound until its ordeal is over and it is back home.

Don’t get me wrong, the above sentence isn’t completely wrong. It just sounds off and jarring.

In other words, if you are still on a trip and you haven’t arrived home yet, then it might be too early to say that you are safe and sound.

You could say that you are fine so far, but breaking out the champagne would be premature.

It is only when the subject in question has the safety of a home that you can say that they are safe and sound.

After all, don’t we feel safest when we are at home?
 

The sound of a homonym

The main reason this expression was so confusing to me was the use of the word “sound.”

So, let’s dispel this confusion once and for all.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “sound” can play several roles.

It can be a noun, where it means an auditory impression, something we hear, or simply noise. This is the definition that most of us are familiar with.

“Sound” can also be a verb, in which case it means to make or create a sound.

For instance, we can sound the alarm or sound the trumpet, both of which mean to make noise through either the alarm or the trumpet.

“Sound” the verb can also mean to put into words, which is what you do when you sound your objections.

However, “sound” can be an adjective, and here it takes on a whole new meaning.

 

”Sound” the adjective

When used as an adjective, “sound” means free from harm, injury, or disease.

If you’ve ever watched a movie where there was a will being read, you’ve probably heard the following statement.

In the above example, the person is establishing that they wrote this will without being impaired in any way. They weren’t coerced into doing it.

They weren’t drunk or heavily medicated. And, they weren’t in the middle of losing their grip on reality.

Ergo, the decisions made in the will should stand because they reflect the person’s true wishes.

“Sound” the adjective can also mean that something is solid or stable.

Or, it can refer to the fact that something is valid and free of any errors.

Over and above, “sound” can mean thorough, deep, and undisturbed.

Interestingly, “sound” can be an adverb as well, where it means thoroughly or to the full extent.

 

The other definitions of “sound”

If you’re still not impressed by the versatility of the word “sound,” then let me tell you that it has other definitions that we haven’t even touched upon.

For example, it can be a noun that means “a long broad inlet of the ocean, which is usually parallel to the coast.” It can also be the air bladder of a fish.

When used as a verb, “sound” can mean “to measure the depth of” or “to try to explore or examine a body cavity with a sound.”

You get the idea by now. “Sound” is the mother of all homonyms.
 

But, from where does a word get its definitions?

In other words, how can a single word have more than one meaning?

To answer that question, let’s go back to the word “sound” and see how it came to mean “free from injury and healthy.”

This definition of “sound” is an old one and goes back to the 1200s. In fact, it comes from Old English, and if you go back further, you can trace its roots to the Proto-Germanic word “sunda-.”

And, the Germanic root “swen-to” means healthy and strong.

The name Sven, which is quite popular in Scandinavian countries, comes from Old Norse and means “young man” or “young warrior.”

If you are into Norse mythology, or, if you are simply a fan of the “Vikings” TV series on Netflix, you might have also heard about yet another Norse expression, the powerful “Until Valhalla.”

But for now, let’s get back to our main topic: “Safe and sound.”
 

”Safe and sound” in pop culture

There are countless examples of “safe and sound being used in pop culture.

Even back in 1594, William Shakespeare used the phrase in “The Comedy of Errors.”

There’s a line in act 4, scene 4 that goes, “Fetch our stuff from thence: I long that we were safe and sound aboard.”

Another example can be found in The Scholemaster.

There is a line that says, “Who by his wisedome and honestie, by his example and authority, may be able to kepe them safe and sound, in the feare of God…”

Finally, as I am writing this article, I have Capital Cities’s “Safe and Sound” playing in the background. It is a very catchy song, and I felt that it would be appropriate for the occasion.