Church key

[nq:1]I came across the term "church key" recently while solving a NY Times crossword puzzle as it turned out to ... opener." Can anybody tell me if the term is still prevalent, and if so it what parts of the US?[/nq]
I have only heard "church key" to mean the pointed tool that was used to open drink cans in the days before pop tops. Photo at:

[nq:2]I came across the term "church key" recently while solving ... prevalent, and if so it what parts of the US?[/nq]
[nq:1]I have only heard "church key" to mean the pointed tool that was used to open drink cans in the days before pop tops. Photo at: http://www.aecom.yu.edu/aif/gallery/200211

I came across the term "church key" recently while solving a NY Times crossword puzzle as it turned out to be the answer to the clue "can opener." A little research showed me that it is a term used for a "bottle opener." Can anybody tell me if the term is still prevalent, and if so it what parts of the US?

I have only heard "church key" to mean the pointed tool that was used to open drink

[nq:1]I have only heard "church key" to mean the pointed tool that was used to open drink cans in the ... the term still made sense. Apparently the term continued when the shape changed to the one John Varela refers to.[/nq]
I have one like this but have not seen a combined bottle and can opener of that or similar shape.
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus73

[nq:1]I came across the term "church key" recently while solving a NY Times crossword puzzle as it turned out to ... opener." Can anybody tell me if the term is still prevalent, and if so it what parts of the US?[/nq]
It's not really a bottle opener. It is a device that punctures a triangular hole in the top of a beer can. Before pull-rings, punching a pair of holes in the beer can was the onl

[nq:2]I have only heard "church key" to mean the pointed ... the shape changed to the one John Varela refers to.[/nq]
[nq:1]I have one like this but have not seen a combined bottle and can opener of that or similar shape.[/nq]
Contrary to Coop, this is what I've always thought of as a church key.

dg (domain=ccwebster)

[nq:2]I came across the term "church key" recently while solving ... prevalent, and if so it what parts of the US?[/nq]
[nq:1]It's not really a bottle opener. It is a device that punctures a triangular hole in the top of a ... drive-in movie. There was a church key in every beer drinkers car. You must be young not to know this.[/nq]
I was surprised to see that MWCD11 dates "church key" wit

In article , Raymond S. Wise at mplsray@my- deja.com hath writ:
[nq:1]Times[/nq]
Having been around at the time, I'll second this interpretation.
dg (domain=ccwebster)

[nq:2]Times punching to I was surprised to see that MWCD11 ... took on the name because of an analogy of function.[/nq]
[nq:1]Having been around at the time, I'll second this interpretation.[/nq]
My introduction to church keys would have been around 1953 or 1954. Before that, they were devices other people used. Starting around '53 or '54, I would have used them. Not with any frequency unt

I have only heard "church key" to mean the pointed tool that was used to open drink cans in the days before pop tops. Photo at:

www.aecom.yu.edu/aif/gallery/20021101/images/church key.jpg

I understand that the term came from old church keys that looked something like this