creature comfort

plural creature comforts

1. idiomaticoftenpluralAny small item or detail that makes a person feel comfortable and at home.

   On weekends, she enjoys creature comforts like sleeping in and long baths.

   5 more examples

   My stereo is a creature comfort. As long as I have it I can relax and be happy.

   Remember, it is laid upon thee to promote communion with thy God and Saviour. […] The cross is laid upon thee, a heavy, a bitter cross: it deprives thee of all sensible comfort, and is kept upon thee till thou hast no prospect of any. Hope in creature comfort has failed: this is a sweet season for spiritual communion with thy Jesus.

   1839, W[illiam] Romaine, “The Believer, Exercised with the Outward Cross, Carries It with Patience, and Finds It a Great Help to Him in His Walk Heavenwards”, in Treatises upon the Life, Walk, and Triumph of Faith, New York, N.Y.: Robinson and Franklin (successors to Leavitt, Lord and Co.), →OCLC, page 241

   In the reverse direction, creature comforts were not closely studied, and the vessel left Antwerp at 1 p.m., to arrive in Harwich at the awkward hour of 2 a.m. The boat train was waiting for the weary stream of passengers, who straggled up George Street, encumbered with luggage, or following burdened porters in the darkness.

   1951 November, K. Westcott Jones, “Parkeston Quay and the Antwerp Continental Service”, in Railway Magazine, page 760

   Almost everyone has a favorite doll, an aging teddy, or an unraveling blankie—either safely put away in a drawer or still lovingly tucked into bed at night. Adults and children alike treasure these creature comforts because they offer security, lifelong friendship, and the smell of home.

   2002, Barbara Collopy O'Halloran, Creature Comforts: People and Their Security Objects, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, front flap of dust jacket

   [I]t is time to remind you that festooning a small boat with a lot of gear and supporting systems is a two-edged sword. While it might increase convenience and creature comfort, it also will weigh down the boat, which means it won't sail at peak performance, especially not in light air and it will alter its behavior in a seaway.

   2007, Jerry [Delmas] Cardwell, Dieter Loibner, “The Amenities”, in Sailing Big on a Small Sailboat, 3rd rev. and updated edition, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Sheridan House, →ISBN, page 194

2. Alcoholic drink, especially whisky.

   An empty glass stood on a table before him, which, with his somnolent condition and a very strong smell of brandy and water, forewarned the visitor that Mr Squeers had been seeking, in creature comforts, a temporary forgetfulness of his unpleasant situation.

   1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby