dead key

noun

1. a key on the keyboard of a typewriter which does not automatically advance the carriage when depressed

Example Sentences

In another hall, the piano had a dead key, and a message: “I tried to fix that note but I couldn’t. Try not to use it too much.”

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That includes new rules meant to ensure criminals cannot obtain urgently needed federal assistance in the names of real people, including workers, prisoners and even the dead — key ways that fraudsters stole aid during the unprecedented crisis.

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Central characters are long dead; key documents have gone missing or remain classified.

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“I’d give you a eulogy, but I’m also dead,” Key apologized to Peele.

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Typewriting.—If the letters ĉ, ĝ, ĥ, ĵ, ŝ, ŭ, are not on the machine, type the plain letters and add the supersigns afterwards with the pen; most makers, however, supply a machine with the necessary characters, or they can be added to any machine on a "dead key" at the cost of a few shillings.

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