Talk:Churchkey

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[edit] Failed AFD

See Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Churchkey. Johnleemk | Talk 10:53, 15 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Previously put on article page

A Churchkey is slang for a CAN opener NOT a bottle opener although most "churckeys" have a bottle opener on the opposite end. It is a Specific TYPE of can opener, it makes a triangular shaped hole and is used to punture METAL cans not just "tin cans" for pouring or drinking. The latter "drinking" being the key (sorry for the pun) to it's purpose. The use of the word "church" is to describe the steeple found in churches or resembling the shape of hands held in prayer and the word "key" refers to it being able to open a beer can for the most part. Hence the term "Churchkey" was used mostly to camoflauge it's use of opening beer cans in the days before flip tops. The term was created for this purpose and seldom if ever used for anything other than opening beer cans until the nickname was firmly established. It's origins are a mystery with many laying claim to have coined the term. This makes for great drinking debates. In the days before flip tops liquor stores often gave them away as bling with a brand name on it. Beer companies would often use them as a chance to advertise and were quite inventive and fun i.e making them to fit on a key chain to always be prepared. There were also well made. These days when one buys a churchkey it is for kitchen use most if not all stand alone churchkeys made today are made of poorest quality steel often bending in half w/out opening the can, even an aluminum can. Sad. They also cost money and are no longer given away. Please note the term "churchkey" does NOT apply to the sardine type can. That is called a "wind-up" key because of it's resemblence to keys used to wind up toys and clocks. -- Unsigned, posted by defunct user Mr.knowitallSr.

[edit] Suggested merge

There really isn't enough unique information here to justify a standalone article. Pjbflynn 01:14, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Since the word churchkey includes certain types of can openners, it would be perverse to merge it with bottle openner. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.164.116.233 (talk) 14:15, August 26, 2007 (UTC)

Don't Merge As I also said in bottle opener, "wikipedia is not a paper encyclopedia" and the term is worthy of a seperate article because it is more than a bottle opener (it opens cans as well) and because of the long use of the term in the US. It needs work, but that is not a reason to merge, per policy. Pharmboy 01:31, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Don't Merge Just saw a history channel special that said that a church key was an easily available weapon that heavily influenced gang development in the US. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.202.112.76 (talk) 06:33, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Removing tag It has been over 6 months, no real objection to leaving it as a seperate article shown. Pharmboy (talk) 01:28, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Actually

These were used to open at least one church. The church wasn't built too tightly (even though it was in the northern climes), and this fit inbetween the door and the jam, and was used to lever back the bolt. Granted, this may have been a particular instance, but it's as verified/cited (or more, as I could get a notorized statement from witnesses) as some of those rumors above.
~ender 2007-06-26 10:39:AM MST

[edit] Picture history

I corrected the historic sequence in the article. Before you revert, please carefully study the pictures at http://www.just-for-openers.org/Church-Key.html which make it totally obvious where the term Church Key comes from, and that it applied to simple bottle cap removers, before beer cans were invented. The article needs a photo of one of these old bottle cap devices, and a picture of an old key -- maybe in the same photo ideally? -69.87.200.181 (talk) 03:17, 31 December 2007 (UTC)