The answer is LATCH, five letters. At four squares the answer is usually BOLT or HASP, and both are common enough that the crossings have to decide. The clue is asking for hardware that holds a door shut, which is a narrower question than asking for a lock.
A fastener is not the same thing as a lock
This distinction is the whole clue. A fastener holds a door in the closed position. A lock holds it in the closed position against someone who wants it open. Every lock is a fastener, but most fasteners are not locks, and constructors who write carefully use the difference to point you at the right word.
A latch is the clearest example. The ordinary spring latch in a house door has a bevelled face, so pushing the door closed pushes the latch back into the door until it springs into the strike plate. It stops the door drifting open and does nothing at all against force. A deadbolt has no spring and no bevel, which is where the name comes from: it is dead until a key or thumbturn drives it, and it cannot be pushed back into the door.
Older hardware is shorter to spell, which is one reason grids favor it. A thumb latch is worked by pressing a lever on the outside, which lifts a bar on the inside clear of the catch holding it down. A bar laid across the whole opening is older still and needs no moving parts at all, and BAR at three squares is the fill for it.
Hardware words and the slots they fill
Match your square count first:
| Letters | Answer | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | BAR | A length of timber or metal across the door |
| 4 | BOLT | A sliding rod that drops into a keeper |
| 4 | HASP | Hinged plate that takes a padlock |
| 4 | LOCK | When the clue implies security, not just closure |
| 5 | LATCH | The default for plain fastener wording |
| 5 | CATCH | Any small part that holds the door shut |
| 5 | CHAIN | The limited opening fastener on an entry door |
| 6 | STAPLE | The loop a hasp closes over |
| 8 | DEADBOLT | The clue mentions keys or security |
Hasp is the one solvers forget
HASP is standard crossword vocabulary and thin on the ground in ordinary conversation, which is a combination that makes it worth memorizing outright. The hardware is simple: a hinged metal strap on one side of the opening, with a slot in the free end, and a fixed loop on the other side. Close the strap so the loop comes through the slot, then run a padlock through the loop. You will have seen a hundred of them on sheds, gates and toolboxes without ever needing the word.
Because the word is rare outside grids, a clue that uses it is often trying to be helpful. Wording about a padlock or a shed is close to an announcement.
Reading the singular, the plural and the verb
Fastener in the singular wants a singular entry. If the clue reads Door fasteners, add the S and the count changes by one, which is the sort of thing that quietly ruins a corner. Watch for the verb reading as well. BOLT, LATCH, LOCK and BAR are all verbs too, and a clue like Fasten, as a door wants the verb rather than the hardware even though the letters are identical. Nothing changes in the grid, but knowing the clue is a verb helps you read the surrounding clues consistently.
When the clue is about the hinge side instead
Doors have two edges and only one of them fastens. If your answer keeps refusing its crossings, check that the clue is really about closure. HINGE, JAMB, STILE, RAIL and PANEL are all door parts that appear in grids, and a hurried read of a door clue can send you hunting for a fastener that was never wanted. JAMB is the frame the door closes into, and it is worth knowing for the silent B alone, because that unpronounced letter is exactly the sort of thing a crossing entry hangs on.
Frequently asked questions
What is the five letter answer for Door fastener?
LATCH is the standard five letter fill. CATCH and CHAIN also fit five squares and appear when the clue wording points at them.
What is a hasp on a door?
A hasp is a hinged metal strap with a slot in the free end that closes over a fixed loop, so a padlock can be run through it. It is common on sheds, gates and toolboxes.
When should I answer DEADBOLT instead of LATCH?
When the clue mentions security, keys or a thumbturn, and when you have eight squares. A latch merely keeps a door closed, while a deadbolt resists someone trying to open it.
