History Main / ImprovisedLockpick

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': Undead characters are able to pick locks using their fingers as [[{{Pun}} skeleton keys]].

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin2'': Undead characters are able to pick locks using their fingers as [[{{Pun}} skeleton keys]].

[[quoteright:330:[[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/improvised_lockpick.jpg]]]]

* ''Characters/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'': Dylan Porcupine can pick locks with his quills.

* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. In the pilot episode, Kate Kane palms a paperclip from Bruce Wayne's desk before putting her hands up after being caught breaking into his office. It's no surprise when she gets free of her handcuffs.

[[folder:Fanfic]]

* In ''Literature/TheGreatBrain at the Academy'', TD makes an impression in wax of the key to a locked room, then carves a duplicate out of wood.

* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'', Mulch uses his beard hair (dwarves are weird in this series: their beards function more like antennae) as a lockpick by pushing it in as far as it can go and plucking it, letting the hair stiffen until it can be used as a key.
* In one of the ''Literature/StainlessSteelRat'' books, Jim picks a lock with the wires connected to his ShockCollar on a rare occasion when he was strip-searched thoroughly enough to deprive him of his regular tools.

* In ''Disney/TheRescuersDownUnder'', Frank the frilled lizard tries to pick the lock of his cage with his tail. It takes him a while but he succeeds.
* In ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'', [[{{Snowlems}} Snowman]] Olaf uses his carrot nose to unlock the door behind which [[spoiler:Princess Anna]] is dying of her frozen heart.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': During his first encounter with Anthony Lupus, Batman was left manacled on a construction site at the mercy of a rampaging werewolf. Batman manages to locate a bent cotter pin in the mud and, holding it in his teeth, uses it to pick the lock on his manacles.

* In the animated movie ''Here Come Literature/TheLittles'', Cousin Dinky uses his tail to pick the lock on a trunk, with little success at first.

* ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' has Sarah Connor picking the locks of her restraints and the lock to her room with a piece of wire she stole earlier. The awesome thing is that Creator/LindaHamilton learnt how to pick locks for her role and did it for real on that scene -- and the U.K. censoring committee actually tried to cut the scene because they feared people would learn how to pick locks from watching the movie.
** In ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'' she burrows a piece of metal from another detainee to pick the lock on their cage, but federal agents turn up to take her into custody before she succeeds.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E24HopeAndFear Hope and Fear]]": Janeway removes a microfilament from her commbadge to rewire Seven's cortical implant so she can walk through the ForcefieldDoor.

* In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', ''[[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas New Vegas]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/Fallout4 4]]'', a screwdriver is used as a torque wrench (the picking itself is done with bobby pins).

* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', a stray feather from Zeng's body lands near where Tai Lung is being held as prisoner, and he uses it to unlock the cuffs holding him.
** A similar thing happens in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'': when Po and the Furious Five are brought before Shen's cannon, Viper uses the end of her tail to unlock Tigress's cuffs.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', when Po and the Furious Five are brought before Shen's cannon, Viper uses the end of her tail to unlock Tigress's cuffs.

Not everyone has a lockpick on hand when they need it. Whether due to the difficulty of obtaining lockpicks, the possible embarrassment of being caught with one, or simple unpreparedness, a character might be forced to confront a lock with only only whatever supplies happen to be at hand. Fortunately, in fiction, that can be as easy as pulling a bobby pin out of your hair.

This is TruthInTelevision, as locksmiths and amateur enthusiasts can jimmy a lock with materials like paper clips and hair pins quite easily. A character might take it further by using something that couldn't turn the lock or even fit inside it in real life.

In real life, in order to pick a standard pin-tumbler lock, two tools (rather than one as is often portrayed) are needed; a torque wrench and a pick. The torque wrench is used to turn the cylinder, while the pick is used to manipulate the pins in such a way to allow it to turn. A flat headed screwdriver can substitute for one. In addition, a screwdriver can also be used to force the lock (literally just twist it hard enough to snap the pins) or rake it (drawing it across the pins in a particular way until they snap in place).

** The HairpinLockpick trope is also spoofed, with Max [[RealGuysWearPink wearing a hairpin]] solely for that purpose.