latch
noun/lætʃ/
/lætʃ/
Idioms - a small metal bar that is used to fasten a door or a gate. You raise it to open the door and drop it to fasten it.
门闩；插销 - He lifted the latch and opened the door.
他拉起门闩开了门。
Extra Examples- She lifted the latch and went into the garden.
她打开门闩，走进花园。 - She tried the latch, but the door wouldn't open.
她尝试了门闩，但门打不开。
- He lifted the latch and opened the door.
- (especially British English) a type of lock on a door that needs a key to open it from the outside
碰锁；弹簧锁 - She listened for his key in the latch.
她留神听着他把钥匙插入门锁。
- She listened for his key in the latch.
Word OriginOld English læccan ‘take hold of, grasp (physically or mentally)’, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
on the latch
- (British English) closed but not locked
关着但未锁上 - Can you leave the door on the latch so I can get in?
你别锁门好不好？我好进来。
- Can you leave the door on the latch so I can get in?