- latchkey child
- latch′key child`n.cvb a child who must spend part of the day alone and unsupervised, as when the parents are away at work
From formal English to slang. 2014.
latchkey child
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latchkey child — latchkey kid UK / US or latchkey child UK / US noun [countable] Word forms latchkey kid : singular latchkey kid plural latchkey kids Word forms latchkey child : singular latchkey child plural latchkey children a child whose parents work and who… … English dictionary
latchkey child — latch key child, n. A child who frequently spends part of the day at home without adult supervision, especially a school child who returns home before the parent(s) return from work. Called also {door key child}. [PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
latchkey child — noun a school age child who is home without adult supervision for part of the day (especially after school until a parent returns home from work) • Hypernyms: ↑schoolchild, ↑school age child, ↑pupil * * * noun, pl ⋯ children [count] : a young… … Useful english dictionary
latchkey child — child who is alone at home after school because his parents both work … English contemporary dictionary
latchkey child — noun Date: 1944 a school aged child of working parents who must spend part of the day unsupervised (as at home) called also latchkey kid … New Collegiate Dictionary
latchkey child — a child who must spend at least part of the day alone and unsupervised, as when the parents are away at work. Also called door key child. [1940 45; so called because such a child is provided with a key for getting into the home after school] * *… … Universalium
latchkey child — noun a child who is alone at home after school until a parent returns from work … English new terms dictionary
latchkey child — /ˈlætʃki tʃaɪld/ (say lachkee chuyld) noun a child whose parents are absent from home before or after school hours and for whom inadequate childminding arrangements have been made …
Latchkey kid — or latchkey child refers to a child who returns from school to an empty home because his or her parents are away at work, or a child who is often left at home with little or no parental supervision.HistoryThe term refers to the latchkey of a door … Wikipedia
latchkey kid — UK / US or latchkey child UK / US noun [countable] Word forms latchkey kid : singular latchkey kid plural latchkey kids Word forms latchkey child : singular latchkey child plural latchkey children a child whose parents work and who returns from… … English dictionary
