truce term truce term word short phrase accepted community children effective way calling temporary respite truce game activity tag variants common examples english speaking cultures crosses kings united_kingdom new_zealand variants australia united_states terms based time 1950s onwards largely supplanted earlier common terms based kings late 1980s time recorded english speaking cultures examples use truce terms child wants raise point rules game traditionally terms specific certain geographical areas particular social group primarily children attending private schools functional truce term understood honoured children playing extensive study use terms undertaken book lore language mapped use truce terms england wales scotland considered important word vocabulary adult equivalent little recent research research indicates truce terms including prevalent late 1950s general use studies conducted 1970s english speaking cultures truce terms prevalent australia new_zealand united_states number terms older terms use truce term usually accompanied gesture crossed fingers hands raising shape hands representing time prevalent gesture appearing countries use truce terms recorded having following circumstances breath having fear clothes damaged needing checking time wanting discuss clarify rules fight game wanting remove jacket continuing mean surrender preparation surrendering truce terms specific age group little currency outside group large abandoned age years research early recorded use terms found examples terms sign surrender battle adult fights late 18th century vocabulary children games including truce terms described england particularly rich regional variation based official television culture example young children transmitted word mouth united_kingdom study conducted study use truce terms england scotland wales 1950s published results book called lore language found truce terms varied according geographical location exception places term current known usually term schools bordering linguistic regions honoured words urban areas odds words surrounding countryside recorded truce terms plus variations widely kings crosses keys recorded prevailing term east scotland borders north west england west wales apart south east wales prevailed variations bay bees barrels use truce term appears 14th century poem sir recorded dictionary scottish language term specifically children demand truce probable variation appears manuscript attributed james scotland follows sic cry thumb quote refer thumb having raised man calling common accompanying gesture use truce term scotland london southern england apart screams extended north far variations included notes reported common use london appeared dictionary slang according term derives medieval term descended turn old french meaning hang battle proposes use term throws light line clerk tale lords orders treated words declined translation word pretend turn blind eye powerful child whilst granting respite spoken english south 11th century onwards characterised pronunciation known frog summer variants surviving examples borders north london truce terms prevail kings recorded common eastern england english dialect dictionary recorded nineteenth century earliest recorded instance found queens recorded kings area alternative indicating readiness restart game kings truce found appeared term play halt quarrel crosses found broad band england crosses lincolnshire oxford gloucester sides areas screws saw transitional word thought variant crosses bars common devon predominantly area bar bristol channel northumberland durham term recorded nineteenth century dialect dictionary keys found prevailing term western scotland strip running north west england predominantly area area hampshire surrey hampshire variants screens screams latin peace group dialect word regional predominantly private schools school stories individual cities towns rural districts words bees locks truce snakes twigs post studies study undertaken lincolnshire confirmed findings later study undertaken surrey found use truce terms uniform firmly area map commonly term common terms cross keys term recorded evidence derived word injection known reported teacher totally lacking street credibility longer group word reported terms reported included force field authors concluded picture things radically changed years seven generations primary school children noted schools reported marked preference particular term schools reported children different terms scots language dictionary published records use keys truce term south west west central scotland australia according researchers evidence scotland west england english towns bar bars devon australia australia terms new south bar bars people western_australia new_zealand study undertaken new_zealand traditional forms play included truce terms terms described study regional common widespread twigs gates wellington schools dominant term fans recorded new_zealand authors state derives described dating times widespread term derived apparently world war appears changed probably shouted length virtue broad new_zealand accents thought likely hypothesis use upper class term derived books stories public schools similarly thought derived possibly originally south_africa unknown save small area possibly public school slang truce term recorded having described south african boy prevalent south_africa thought south african derived term common truce terms recorded bags poison gates listed speculated bags derive united_states study undertaken historians mary 1970s remembering terms 1930s reported kings kings use kings 1930s recorded edition dictionary american regional english records historical use kings kings kings kings excuse kings chiefly west mississippi_river earliest recorded use cited dictionary kings adult fight scholarly speculation late nineteenth century kings derived kings truce rendered kings kings excuse kings shortened form dictionary american regional english cites source terms states probably refers use crossed fingers important demand truce excuse originally thought state record kings record kings crosses truce conclude kings derived users kings settling areas terms combined shortened kings popular accounted similar manner recorded truce term ohio wisconsin virginia study indiana found time times far prevalent terms 1970s variations included got times time children reported traditional kings queens got kings authors reported terms popular areas american schools abroad functional truce term understood honoured children playing time clearly derives use timed sports apparently came language organized timed sports advent sports elementary schools television historically earliest reports use time time truce term small number respondents reported time derivatives use 1960s alternatives included safe base home base freeze small area fins reported time 1950s supplanted kings popular truce term use times time got times time appears influenced older forms kings got kings report times derivatives time accompanied traditional crossed fingers france france children use word equivalent english american time literal translation thumb big toe gestures found england wales children usually held crossed fingers crossing fingers hands required occasionally feet found area sitting cross legged required children raise right hand palm forward whilst hand held fingers extended parts scotland custom occurred places lancashire raising thumb accompany use france study found variety gestures common use crossed fingers hand crossed fingers hands fingers boys arms crossed chest gestures reported ones included injection arm thumb making shape hands fingers held vulcan sign star trek virtually schools reported use crossed fingers holding hand middle index fingers crossed usual gesture found new_zealand shape saying time time gesture hands hand held horizontally palm hand vertically touching horizontal hand modern time largely supplanted traditional terms accompanied time gesture crossed fingers gesture remains common
Truce term