The Gold Key
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The office of Groom of the Stole (see STOLE), the holder of which had a golden key as his emblem.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Gold Key” mean?
The office of Groom of the Stole (see STOLE), the holder of which had a golden key as his emblem.
Is “The Gold Key” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.