Where did the phrase church key bottle opener get its start?

Answer 1

It has always struck me that the term "church key" as a reference to a bottle open has absolutely nothing to do with either the Church or a key. Rather, I believe that the term is a distortion of the rather unusual word "tchotchke" which is a trinket of any sort, and generally used to refer to an advertising or promotional gadget. Bottle and can openers (tchotchkes) were once given away by beer brewers and distributors, as well as gas stations and other businesses. They were intended to do what any advertisement is supposed to do: keep the product name in the customers' attention. "tchotchke" is not a well known word, but it does sound a lot like "church key." This confusion may have come about intentionally (somebody knew the word but intentionally distorted it, perhaps because they couldn't spell it) or unintentionally (somebody heard the word said properly, didn't know the word, and repeated it the way they thought they heard it as "church key.") In any event, I have read that can and bottle openers are called "church keys" because of their resemblance to key that the clergy carry or carried around with them. Take a look at a can opener, then take a look at a key. Judge for yourself how much resemblance there is. It is much easier for me to believe that the term "church key" comes from something that sounds similar ("tchotchke") than from something it is said to resemble, but does not.