skeleton key
a key with nearly the whole substance of the bit filed away so that it may open various locks.
Origin of skeleton key
1- Also called passkey.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use skeleton key in a sentence
With an oath, Dundee used his skeleton key to release the Yale lock with which the front door was equipped.
Murder at Bridge | Anne AustinOr he came in with a skeleton key and out by the window, probably droppin' from the balcony.
Loyalties (Fifth Series Plays) | John Galsworthy"Come on," he said, thrusting his skeleton key into the inner door.
The Mystery of the Hidden Room | Marion HarveyWas there a bank official to be264 bribed or a skeleton key to be made?
Remarkable Rogues | Charles KingstonSo he took from his pocket an electric lantern and a skeleton key which he always carried.
Arsne Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes | Maurice LeBlanc
British Dictionary definitions for skeleton key
a key with the serrated edge filed down so that it can open numerous locks: Also called: passkey
Origin of skeleton key
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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