††A safe is a strong lockable cupboard or cabinet for valuables. Before there were safes, people used iron-bound oak chests to store their valuables. There were important patents for safes in Britain between 1835 and 1865. Modern safes usually have combination locks because these have no keyhole into which explosives can be inserted to blow the safe. Sometimes safes also have time-lock devices, so that they cannot be opened during certain hours even by someone who has the combination. The most secure safes depend on alloy steel cladding which can only be burned through by cutting torches after many hours. Some safes are cast in concrete so that they cannot easily be removed.
