"keys to the kingdom" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Originating from the concept of resources that were the means of obtaining control over an actual kingdom, i.e., a realm under the rulership of a king. Compare also King James Bible Matthew 16:19, \"I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.\"",
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      "expansion": "keys to the kingdom pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English pluralia tantum",
          "parents": [
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            "Nouns",
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          "source": "w"
        },
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1830, John Donald Carrick, Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, page 112:",
          "text": "This fortress, from its strong position, was considered as one of the keys to the kingdom, and had belonged to the Earl of March, a disappointed candidate for the crown, who had now attached himself to the banner of England.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 April 8, InfoWorld, volume 24, number 14, page 28:",
          "text": "The passwords they control are the keys to the kingdom, so what protections should be taken?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Barack Obama (quoting Senator Robert Byrd), The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, page 119",
          "text": "Not many people bother to learn them these days. Everything is so rushed, so many demands on a senator's time. But these rules unlock the power of the Senate. They're the keys to the kingdom."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A resource, usually information or knowledge, the possession of which gives the possessor access to power."
      ],
      "id": "en-keys_to_the_kingdom-en-noun-MSxS~eUM",
      "links": [
        [
          "resource",
          "resource"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "knowledge",
          "knowledge"
        ],
        [
          "power",
          "power"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A resource, usually information or knowledge, the possession of which gives the possessor access to power."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "keys of the kingdom"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
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  "word": "keys to the kingdom"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Originating from the concept of resources that were the means of obtaining control over an actual kingdom, i.e., a realm under the rulership of a king. Compare also King James Bible Matthew 16:19, \"I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.\"",
  "head_templates": [
    {
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        "1": "p",
        "head": "keys to the kingdom"
      },
      "expansion": "keys to the kingdom pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English pluralia tantum",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1830, John Donald Carrick, Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, page 112:",
          "text": "This fortress, from its strong position, was considered as one of the keys to the kingdom, and had belonged to the Earl of March, a disappointed candidate for the crown, who had now attached himself to the banner of England.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 April 8, InfoWorld, volume 24, number 14, page 28:",
          "text": "The passwords they control are the keys to the kingdom, so what protections should be taken?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Barack Obama (quoting Senator Robert Byrd), The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, page 119",
          "text": "Not many people bother to learn them these days. Everything is so rushed, so many demands on a senator's time. But these rules unlock the power of the Senate. They're the keys to the kingdom."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A resource, usually information or knowledge, the possession of which gives the possessor access to power."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "resource",
          "resource"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "knowledge",
          "knowledge"
        ],
        [
          "power",
          "power"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A resource, usually information or knowledge, the possession of which gives the possessor access to power."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "keys of the kingdom"
    }
  ],
  "word": "keys to the kingdom"
}