A passe-partout has three main meanings: something granting unrestricted access (like a master key), a decorative mat for framing a picture, or adhesive tape used to attach a picture. The word originates from the French for "passes" and "everywhere".
Un passe-partout est quelque chose qui permet un accès illimité, une bordure décorative pour un tableau, ou un ruban adhésif pour fixer une image. Le terme vient du français "passe” et “partout".
| Back | passe-partout /pas-pahr-TOO/ |
|---|---|
| Front | noun 1. Something, for example a master key, that enables unrestricted access. 2. An ornamental mat used to frame a picture. 3. An adhesive tape used to attach a picture to a mat, glass, backing, etc. [From French, literally, passes everywhere, from passer (to pass) + partout (everywhere), from par (through) + tout (all).] "Francesco Isolabella, one of her lawyers, said, 'Marion True is being used as an excuse to criminalize all American museums.' Ms. True should not be used 'as a passe-partout to get at the Getty'." - Elisabetta Povoledo; Casting Blame for Looting In Trial of Getty Ex-Curator; The New York Times; Jan 18, 2007. |
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