WORD: Passe-partout

(noun)

Something that passes everywhere or provides a universal means of 

ORIGIN

Passe-partout, “something that provides a universal means of passage; a master key, skeleton key,” comes from the French compound passe-partout, whose literal meaning is “(it) passes everywhere.” In French the phrase originally meant “a person who can go anywhere,” and slightly later “a master key.” The French verb passer “to pass” comes from Vulgar Latin passāre “to walk, step, pass,” from the Latin noun passus “pace, step.” Partout is a compound of par “through” and tout “all.” Par comes from the Latin preposition per “through”; tout comes from Latin tōtus “all, the whole of, complete.” Passe-partout entered English in the 17th century.

USE

Journalists have an invisible passe-partout that allows them to roam the world and ask consequential people impertinent questions.

NICHOLAS LEMANN, "SPHERES OF INFLUENCE," THE NEW YORKER, APRIL 4, 2004

I conducted my own furtive tour of the French intelligence community and found that de Villiers’s name was a very effective passe-partout, even among people who found the subject mildly embarrassing.

ROBERT F. WORTH, "THE SPY NOVELIST WHO KNOWS TOO MUCH," NEW YORK TIMES, JANUARY 30, 2013