I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: key (I) + hole
1. : a hole or aperture (as in a door or lock) for receiving a key
2.
a. : a hole or groove in beams intended to be joined together to receive the key that fastens them
b. : a slot for a key or cotter
3. : a hole made by a bullet that has keyholed
4. : the free-throw area in basketball
II. intransitive verb
Etymology: keyhole (I) ; from the shape of the hole made by the bullet
of a bullet : to strike a target when (as from tumbling or ricocheting) the long axis of the bullet is not in the same line as the line of flight
III. adjective
Etymology: keyhole (I)
1. : revealingly intimate : inside
a keyhole report
a keyhole view of private lives
intimate, almost keyhole narrative portrait — New Yorker
2. : intent on revealing intimate details
continual nursing of demagogic power in the hands of a few keyhole columnists — Erwin Canham