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
"One of the night watchers, and he had it from one of the turnkeys."
From The Coming of the King by James Hocking
It was in vain that we shouted to the turnkeys.
From The History Of The Last Trial By Jury For Atheism In England A Fragment of Autobiography Submitted for the Perusal of Her Majesty's Attorney-General and the British Clergy by George Jacob Holyoake
The schoolhouse should not be a prison or the teachers turnkeys.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 11 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Miscellany by Robert Green Ingersoll
