SKELETON KEY Definition & Meaning

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skeleton key

noun

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

skeleton key

noun

a key with the serrated edge filed down so that it can open numerous locks Also calledpasskey

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of skeleton key¹

First recorded in 1800–10

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of skeleton key¹

C19: so called because it has been reduced to its essential parts

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Example Sentences

A brass skeleton key stabbed through its middle like a fork.

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Introducing the 688-page biography this way seems designed to address Musk’s recent turn towards combativeness and cruelty — if not justifying it, then offering a skeleton key to understanding where it’s rooted.

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

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

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Alaric pursed his lips and looked around before opening a drawer behind him with a skeleton key.

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