turnkey
noun
a person who has charge of the keys of a prison; jailer.
turnkeys
-
pluralof turnkey.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The veteran turnkeys consider the many rookies too green and soft.
From Time Magazine Archive
The rest of “us” consisted of a cook Davos never saw, six guardsmen in the ground-floor barracks, a pair of washerwomen, and the two turnkeys who looked after the prisoner.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
"No!" said Carlile, "the gaoler shall send me the cooking utensils again ", and he did one by one, the turnkeys bringing them and standing guard while he used them.
From The Battle of The Press As Told in the Story of the Life of Richard Carlile By His Daughter, Theophila Carlile Campbell by Theophila Carlile Campbell
Then, the spell removed, cursing himself and her, he went through a pantomime of anathema, battering the panels from within with heavy fists till the turnkeys ran out, supposing him to have been attacked.
From My Lords of Strogue Vol. III, (of III) A Chronicle of Ireland, from the Convention to the Union by Lewis Wingfield
Here two turnkeys were always on guard, and watched the prisoner through a chink in the floor.
From King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 1 or, the Throne, the Church, and the People in the Thirteenth Century. Vol. I. by Bernhard Severin Ingemann
