skeleton key
noun
a key with nearly the whole substance of the bit filed away so that it may open various locks.
Nearby words
skeletal system, skeletal traction, skeleton, skeleton car, skeleton in the closet, skeleton key, skeletonize, skelf, skelic index, skell, skellum
Origin of skeleton key
First recorded in 1800–10
Also called passkey.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for skeleton key
The time had come for him to use the skeleton-key which he had had made.
The Crevice|William John Burns and Isabel OstranderHe was a prisoner now, for he had left the skeleton-key in the inside of the outer door.
Satan Sanderson|Hallie Erminie RivesThat morning he had secured a skeleton-key, and now the weather was propitious for his purpose.
Satan Sanderson|Hallie Erminie RivesLet me see if my skeleton-key will open the cellar reserved for the tenant of the ground floor.
Arsne Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes|Maurice LeBlanc
British Dictionary definitions for skeleton key
skeleton key
noun
a key with the serrated edge filed down so that it can open numerous locksAlso called: passkey
Word Origin for skeleton key
C19: so called because it has been reduced to its essential parts
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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