Glossary
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A
Access control
A system that decides who gets into a building or room. Think keypads, swipe cards, or those fancy fingerprint readers you see in offices. These are really handy for apartment blocks or workplaces where loads of people need to get in and out without juggling dozens of keys. Some systems even let you see who’s been coming and going, which is brilliant for keeping tabs on security.
Aperture
A posh word for an opening or gap (or hole). You’ll usually hear it when people talk about the slot in their letterboxes where the postman shoves the mail through.
Anchor plate
A tough metal plate you bolt to your wall or floor so you can chain up or secure bicycles, motorcycles, or anything else you don’t want nicked. It’s a solid way to lock something onto.
Anti-snap cylinder
A clever lock barrel that’s designed to break in a safe way if some dodgy character tries to snap it off your door. The outer bit breaks away, but the inside keeps your door locked tight. It’s worth getting one with a TS007 three-star rating because they’re tested against snapping, picking, drilling, and other nasty burglary attacks.
B
Backplate
The flat metal bit that sits behind your door handle. It covers the holes in your door and keeps everything in place. Some are fancy and decorative, while others are simple and plain. Some even have built-in keyholes.
Backset
The gap from your door’s edge to the middle of where the door handle fits. Most doors in the UK use a 44- or 57-mm backset.
Bathroom lock
The privacy lock on your bathroom or loo door, it locks from the inside so you get peace and quiet (although most designs have a way to pop it open from the outside with a screwdriver or coin, which is useful when the kids lock themselves in the bathroom by accident).
Bi-fold door
Doors with panels that fold up like an accordion when you open them. You often see them in patios because they create a massive opening without taking up much space.
Blanking plate
A simple plate to cover the hole of a door handle you’re not using to keep things looking tidy, especially if you only need a handle on one side of your door.
Bolt
A metal bar that slides into your door frame to hold it shut. Some move by hand, while others are automatic (when locking the door).
British Standard lock
A lock that’s passed some pretty tough UK safety tests, and what home insurers typically look for on your front door. They’ve been bashed about, picked at, and drilled thousands of times to make sure they’re genuinely secure.
Butt hinge
Your standard door hinge with two flat bits (or metal leaves) that meet up when your door closes.
C
Cabin hook
A simple hook-and-eye mechanism used to prop doors or gates (like those in sheds and garden gates) open or keep internal doors from getting wedged back.
Cam
The bit inside a cam lock that spins round when you turn the key. It locks or unlocks whatever it’s fitted to.
Cam lock
A basic rotating lock you can often find in cabinets, post boxes, small cupboards, and other furnishings. You use a key to turn or rotate the flat arm to lock it up (or unlock it).
Casement window
A window that swings open (inward or outward) on hinges, just like a door does.
Centre
Shortcut for a lock’s centre or centre distance. It’s basically the measurement between the fixing holes or from the spindle to the keyhole.
Chain lock
The short security chain linking your door to the frame so you can crack it open a few inches to see who’s knocking without letting them barge in.
Cockspur handle
A wedge-shaped window handle that hooks over a little catch to keep your window shut tight. It’s quite common on older windows.
Composite door
Modern front doors that feature different stuff (wood, PVC, foam insulation, and other materials) all stuck together to create a strong, energy-efficient, and easy-to-maintain door.
Cylinder
It’s where you stick your key in. Its inside features pins that must line up just right before the lock will turn.
Cylinder pull
A small handle set into the door, often flush with the surface, to help you slide or pull the door open without sticking out or getting in the way.
D
Deadbolt
A lock bolt that only budges when you turn a key or thumb turn. Ideal for exterior doors, the bolt can go at least 20mm into the door frame to make it challenging to force open.
DIN lock
A 72mm European standard lock that is often seen in commercial buildings and places that need easy access for folks with physical disabilities.
Door closer
That device fitted to your door that pulls it shut automatically after you’ve walked through. It uses springs or hydraulic fluid to control how fast it closes, so your door doesn’t slam.
Door furniture
Anything and everything you stick on a door, including handles, letterboxes, knockers, hinges, etc.
Door knob
A round handle you twist to open a door instead of pushing down as you do with a lever.
Double cylinder
A lock where you need a key on both sides (inside and outside) for optimum security.
Draught excluder
Strips of material are edged around doors or windows to stop cold air sneaking in (especially useful if you want to lower your heating bills).
E
Electromagnetic lock
An electronic lock using powerful magnets to hold your door shut. You only need to press a button or swipe your card to unlock it.
Escutcheon
A decorative metal plate around your keyhole, protecting the door from getting scratched up (makes it look smart, too).
Espag lock
A modern window lock with a metal rod running up and down inside the frame. Locking it makes the rod shoot bolts at multiple points to improve security.
Euro cylinder
The standard lock barrel you’ll find across the UK and Europe. They’re shaped like a cylinder and are very easy to replace.
Euro profile
Locks designed to git Euro cylinder barrels (it’s the European standard everyone uses now, including the UK).
F
Faceplate
The flat metal plate you can see on your door’s edge serves to cover the lock. You can only see it when the door’s open.
Fire door
Special doors built to hold back fire and smoke for 30 or 60 minutes to give people enough time to safely evacuate or get out. They have strips that puff up in heat to seal the gaps, and they close automatically.
Flag hinge
An adjustable hinge you’ll find on uPVC doors and shaped like a flag (hence, the name). You can tweak it to sort out wonky door alignment.
Flush bolt
A bolt that fits into the door edge so it sits flat when you’re not using it.
Follower
The square hole in a lock where the spindle goes through and connects your door handles on both sides.
French door
Two doors that meet in the middle with no post between them. It usually features glass panels and opens onto the garden.
Friction stay
A window hinge that uses friction (no pins or notches) to hold your window wherever you want it, often seen on modern uPVC windows.
G
Gearbox
The mechanical gubbins inside a multipoint lock that makes all the locking points work at once when you turn the handle or key.
Grub screw
A tiny headless screw that holds your door handle onto the spindle, which usually requires an Allen key to tighten.
H
Handle
What you grab to open a door or window; can be a lever, knob, pull handle, or even D-shaped.
Hasp and staple
A metal strap with a hinge (the “hasp”) that folds over a fixed loop (the “staple”) so you can shove a padlock through it.
Hinge bolt
A small bolt on the hinge side of your door to stop someone from forcing it open, even if they somehow get the hinges off.
I
Intumescent strip
A neat, life-saving stuff fitted to fire doors that swells up when it gets hot. This action seals all the gaps to stop smoke and flames from getting through.
Ironmongery
Old-fashioned word for all the metal fittings on doors and windows, including locks, handles, hinges, bolts, and everything else.
J
K
Keep
The metal bit (like a plate or box-shaped device) on your door frame that catches and holds the bolt when you lock up.
Keyhole cover
A little flap over your keyhole to stop draughts whistling through and keep muck (or dirt) out of the lock.
Keypad
A numbered button panel where you tap in a code instead of using a physical key to open the door.
L
Latch
A spring-loaded bolt that holds your door shut without actually locking it. You only need to turn the handle to open it (even without a key).
Letterplate
The rectangular opening in your door where the postman shoves your letters through. Most have a flap or brushes to keep the cold out.
Lever
A flat handle you push down to open doors. It could also mean the metal bits inside some types of locks that need lifting by a physical key.
Lever on the backplate
A door handle design where the lever sits on a long rectangular plate that covers the keyhole and the area where the handle goes.
Lever on rose
A handle where the lever is mounted on a circular plate (called a “rose”) that is separate from the keyhole cover (hence, it’s a two-piece design).
Lock centre
The distance between your door edge and the middle of the keyhole and is a crucial measurement for making sure your handle and locks line up properly.
M
Maglock
Short for an electromagnetic lock that uses powerful magnets to hold the door shut (see Electromagnetic lock).
Mortise
A rectangular slot chopped into the edge of your door to fit a lock or latch into.
Mortise lock
A lock that fits into that slot in your door edge instead of being stuck on the surface for a tidier look and more secure performance (more difficult to get at).
Multipoint lock
A lock where turning your key locks your door at several points (three or more) along the edge and is commonly seen on uPVC and composite doors. You only need to lift the handle, turn the key, and the system activates the hooks or bolts at multiple points to spread the force across the frame.
N
Night latch
A spring-loaded lock on the inside of your door that automatically clicks shut when you close it, typically serving as a secondary lock.
O
Oval cylinder
An oval-shaped lock barrel often found in really old door locks.
Overhead closer
A door closer mounted above the door that controls how quickly and smoothly it closes or shuts.
Overnight lock
An extra locking point on multipoint locking systems that you can use for added security when you’re tucked up in bed at night.
P
Padlock
A portable lock with that U-shaped bar (a “shackle”) that you can use on gates, storage units, and nearly everything you can insert the bar into. They’re available in brass (for low-risk stuff), hardened steel versions (for valuable gear), and weatherproof (for outdoor use).
Panic bar
A horizontal bar across emergency exit doors that allows you to simply whack it to open the door straight away, making it perfect for quick escapes during fires or emergencies when people are panicking.
Patio door
Big, sliding glass doors that open onto your patio or garden, making them ideal for families who want more natural light in their homes.
Profile
The cross-sectional shape of a cylinder or handle. For example, a Euro profile “fits” the standard European cylinder shape.
Pull handle
A handle you pull instead of turn and is quite common on entrance doors and anywhere that needs disabled access (for people with mobility challenges, wheelchair users, and those with limited dexterity).
Q
R
Rack bolt
A small bolt fitted into your door edge that you operate with a key for extra security without being obvious from the outside.
Rebate
The stepped bit where two doors meet on double doors and requires special locks or kits to work properly.
Restrictor
Something that stops your door or window from opening too far and can be handy for ventilation and keeping kids safe.
Rim lock
A lock stuck on the inside face of your door instead of being fitted into the edge (also called a surface-mounted lock).
Rose
The round plate behind a lever handle that covers the spindle hole.
S
Sash jammer
A very simple security device that jams against the door or window frame, so you cannot force it open from outside.
Sash window
Traditional windows where the panels slide up and down vertically (very common in period properties).
Shoot bolt
A long bolt that shoots up or down from a multipoint lock into the frame for added security.
Single cylinder
A lock requiring a key on only one side (usually the outside) with a thumb turn inside for easy escape.
Smart lock
Modern locks you can control with your smartphone, number code, card, fingerprint, or any other non-traditional (read, digital) methods. You can give visitors temporary codes and even check if your door’s locked from anywhere. Many systems send you real-time alerts when someone comes in (or even attempts to break in). Some work with Alexa or Google Home, too.
Spindle
The square metal bar going through your door connecting the handles on both sides (outside and inside). It rotates when you turn one handle.
Sprung
Indicates the presence of a spring inside the door handle that brings it back to horizontal after you’re used it.
Strike plate
A fancier name for the “keep” or where the bolt goes into the frame.
T
Thumb turn
A little knob on the inside of locks that you twist with your thumb (hence, the name) instead of using a physical key, and is very common on bathroom locks and Euro cylinders.
Tilt and turn
Windows that tilt inward at the top for a bit of fresh air. They could also swing fully inward (like a door) when you want to clean them thoroughly and properly.
Tower bolt
A simple manual bolt with a knob you turn to slide it into the frame and is often a mainstay on gates and shed doors.
TS007
A security standard showing how well a cylinder lock resists attacks, with a three-star rating offering the best security.
Tubular latch
A basic spring-loaded latch inside doors that don’t need locking and which you operate only with a handle.
U
uPVC
Short of unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, which is a tough plastic material used for doors and windows. It doesn’t rot or warp and never needs painting. They are excellent at keeping heat in and noise out, too.
uPVC is strong enough for multipoint locks, and you can recycle it when you’re done with it. Almost everyone in the UK has this material on their doors or windows or both.
uPVC handle
A handle made specifically for plastic doors, with holes in the right places to match up with uPVC multipoint locks.
V
Vertical bolt
A bolt that shoots straight up or down from a multipoint lock into the frame.
W
Weatherproof
Locks or hardware built to cope with rain, damp, snow, and other outdoor conditions without going rusty or packing up.
Window handle
The lever or knob for opening and closing windows, with many featuring integrated locks for window security.
Window stay
A metal arm that holds your window open at different angles and often features notches or holes for different positions.
X
Y
Z
Zone
An area within an access control system that you can lock or unlock separately from other areas. You’ll often see this in large buildings where different people need access to different sections or units.