After being offered a couple of church keys by a local beer distributor to help with the beer I had bought I wondered how a bottle opener could possibly become associated with a church key. Turns out, the term came into use because the device looked like the handles of ornate keys, many of which were church keys. According to Michael Quinion, the term first appeared in print in 1951 but was probably in use by the 1930s.
-Giancarlo
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And here I thought it was because the big keys are shaped in a way that makes them useful for opening bottles. Thanks, Giancarlo!
ReplyDeleteKeep the facts coming.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. I love these fun beer facts--Cheers!
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