latchstring

[ lach-string ]

/ ˈlætʃˌstrɪŋ /

noun

a string passed through a hole in a door, for raising the latch from the outside.

Nearby words

latch onto, latchet, latching, latchkey, latchkey child, latchstring, late, late blight, late bloomer, late charge, late greek

Origin of latchstring

First recorded in 1785–95; latch + string

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for latchstring

As he closed it he did an unprecedented thing,he drew in the latchstring.
The Boy Patrol Around the Council Fire|Edward Sylvester Ellis
He pulled the latchstring with his left hand and pushed the door open with his foot, the rifle ready.
The Keeper|Henry Beam Piper
And the day cannot be delayed much longer now when every child shall find the latchstring out on the school door.
The Battle with the Slum|Jacob A. Riis.
Perhaps the reader has heard before this of having the latchstring out, but has not known just what the phrase meant.
Stories Of Ohio|William Dean Howells

Ye know his latchstring is always out, but Ive niver known of their being in his company.
The Boy Patrol Around the Council Fire|Edward Sylvester Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for latchstring

latchstring

/ (ˈlætʃˌstrɪŋ) /

noun

a length of string fastened to a latch and passed through a hole in the door so that it can be opened from the other side

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012