latchkey child
1
6.4
- noun
- /ˈlætʃˌki ˈtʃaɪld/
:
niño de llave
Examples
-
Funding for after-school programs increased in part due to concerns about the large number of latchkey children and evidence that juvenile crime peaked between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on school days.
Academic text (2009) -
This massive study drew its sample of 2,600 elementary and 4,300 middle school students from across the country and found no reduction in the number of latchkey children resulting from participation in 21st Century after-school programs.
Academic text (2009) -
Many latchkey children feel lonely when they come home to an empty house after school.
-
Parents often worry about the safety of latchkey children who are unsupervised until they return from work.
-
Programs designed for latchkey children can help provide support and social interaction after school.
Synonyms
5
7.5
A child who returns to an empty home after school and stays alone because parents are at work
Antonyms
How Supervised
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'latchkey' (as given) denotes a child who comes home to an empty house, and adding 'child' simply specifies the person, so the overall meaning is predictable from the parts. A B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would therefore understand this MWE without needing prior exposure.
Etymology
Latchkey child The phrase latchkey child comes from a time when many children wore a house key on a string so they could let themselves in when their parents were at work. One popular story says the child would open the door latch and stay alone after school, so the phrase now means a child who is 'on their own' or 'without adult supervision' after school.