English · Proverb Candidate

it is best to be on the safe side

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To act with caution to avoid potential risks or problems.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Tốt nhất nên cẩn thận để tránh rủi ro hoặc vấn đề tiềm ẩn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: being physically on the safe side of a boundary or hazard

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Sources & notes

Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “it is best to be on the safe side” mean?

To act with caution to avoid potential risks or problems. Literally: being physically on the safe side of a boundary or hazard

Is “it is best to be on the safe side” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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