dead key

British  

noun

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

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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.”

From New York Times

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.

From Washington Post

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

From Washington Post

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

From Time

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.

From Project Gutenberg