keyboy

English

Etymology

From key +‎ boy.

Noun

keyboy (plural keyboys)

1. A male hotel or motel employee in charge of room keys.
   • 1963, Ross Macdonald, The Chill, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, page 48:

     I drove downhill . . . toward the Mariner's Rest Motel. . . A keyboy. . . told me that Alex Kincaid had registered and gone out again.

   • 1968, Ross Macdonald, The Instant Enemy:

     We checked into adjoining rooms in a beach motel near the center of Santa Teresa. . . The keyboy opened the door between our two rooms.

   • 20??, on-line comment, TravelBlog web-page

     Arrive between 06:00 p.m.and 09:00 p.m. clock clock [sic] get your room key from the KeyBoy the right from [sic] the hotel entrance!