skeleton key
noun
a key with nearly the whole substance of the bit filed away so that it may open various locks.
Also called
passkey.
Origin of skeleton key
First recorded in 1800–10
Words nearby skeleton key
skeletal system,
skeletal traction,
skeleton,
skeleton car,
skeleton in the closet,
skeleton key,
skeletonize,
skelf,
skelic index,
skell,
skellum
Example sentences 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 locks
Also called: passkey
Word Origin for skeleton key
C19: so called because it has been reduced to its essential parts