skeleton key

American  

noun

1. a key with nearly the whole substance of the bit filed away so that it may open various locks.

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skeleton key British  

noun

1. Also called: passkey.  a key with the serrated edge filed down so that it can open numerous locks

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Etymology

Origin of skeleton key

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

skeleton key

“Microsoft should not have had a single skeleton key that, when inevitably stolen, could be used to forge access to different customers’ private communications.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2023

Those looking for a felt skeleton key to unlock his various idiosyncrasies aren’t likely to find one.

From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2023

This word—“predations,” which Shapiro deployed repeatedly—is the skeleton key to this entire debate.

From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2022

The virus uses its spike protein like a skeleton key to ease open cells.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 7, 2021

And lots of things I’ve collected: shells, rocks, a tiny glass elephant, a blackened old skeleton key my grandmother found in a chest but which unlocks nothing.

From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord