Church key (was: Set-ups (was "Boilermakers"))

[Dennis R. Preston]

What about popping that sucker off by lapping one of the ridges over a
lower tooth and pulling down?

dInIs (who still has all his teeth)

>I can second Larry Horn's testimonial--I also used and heard "church key" in
>upstate NY (specifically Albany) in the 1960s.
>
>A good follow-up question: what method did you use to open bottles when you
>lacked a church key?
>
>I recall three:
>
>1. A screwdriver, working around the little indentations in the cap (which
>entailed some deft artistry).
>
>2.  The metal end of a seat belt (another specialized skill), fixing the
>bottle
>cap in the square hole.
>
>3.  The edge of a chrome fender (with a rapid blow by the heel of the hand
>onto
>the bottle cap--a dangerous maneuver).
>
>I confess I never excelled at these, but neither could I pass the macho
>test of
>being able to break open the O made by folding up the clear plastic holder
>for a
>six-pack of cans (is there a name for this?) by pulling the sides of the O
>with
>both hands across the chest or behind the neck.
>
>At times in life one confronts one's limitations . . .