1
general::
Phrase(s): Heaven protects children(, sailors,) and drunken men.
Prov. Children(, sailors,) and drunk(ard)s often escape being injured in dangerous situations. (Often used to express amazement that a child, sailor, or drunk person has escaped injury.) • Jill: Did you hear? A little girl fell out of a second-f loor window in our apartment building. Jane: Was she killed? Jill: She wasn’t even hurt. Jane: Heaven protects children, sailors, and drunken men. • Mike was so drunk he shouldn’t even have been conscious, but he managed to drive home without hurting himself or anyone else; heaven protects children and drunkards.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs