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Arley Barley

M

Maryd

Exiled Brummie
My Dad always used these words when it meant to surrender or give up. Is this Birmingham do we know? He came from Aston/Lozells
 
Maryd,

The saying I believe comes from the French word Parley, to talk, when we were kids playing in the street and you were being chased if you wanted a break you would shout Barley and the game would stop for awhile.
 
hi mary. it must be as me and my brothers and sisters still say it today. we come from aston/hockley. wales
 
Yes, we always used the word "Barley" as well if we wanted to stop for a while/or opt out.

I think there are many different words used for truce terms in different parts of the country. My husband is from London and as a child he used the word "Fainites" which apparently comes from "fain I or I decline".
 
Thanks all. I've often wondered about that, but like so many other things, I never asked the question when I had the opportunity.
 
Wonder if it came from the village Arley?. Just come back from there. My twins used to use the expression when they were at secondary school but I'd love to know where it first originated. Jean.
 
Just a couple of things:

When I first came to Oz I quickly learned not to say 'adoo' instead 'hi', '5 and 20 past' but 25 past and 'root through to drawers'
 
Arley-Barley: used to suspend a game- maybe tig or kiss-chase or ‘feet off ground’- remember that one?- while we discussed the rules or similar. Ackey 1-2-3 was used, as I remember when we had an ‘ackey post’ in hide and seek. Where you had to hide, and if you could get to the ‘ackey’ post before your hiding place was found, you were ‘untouchable’. You’d won! Am I right? Anybody remember more accurately?​
 
Barley is a truce term in kids' games and is used throughout the West Mids and Wales, whilst the term "Cree" is used in S. E. Wales, Somerset and Gloucestershire and right up the west coast into Scotland
"Fainites" is used in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Essex , Greater London and Suffolk. "Scribbs, Scrasses and Screens" is used in Sussex.
"Kings & Crosses" is used in Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. Whilst "Skinch" is used in Northumberland
There are many exceptions and words like Peril, Blobs, Nicks, Keys, Bars, Croggie, Scruse and Trucie are also in use.

Barley or Barlay can be traced back to the 14th. Century.
 
I’ve done a bit of research and Arley Barley appears to be a corruption of the French ‘Allez Parler.’ Allez being the French ‘to go’ and Parler’ – to talk, hence ‘Allez Parler’ – let’s go and talk = ‘A truce to discuss cessation of hostilities or terms of surrender’ hence ‘Arley Barley’ – ‘I’m knackered – give us a break!’

Does anybody remember you had to cross your fingers on both hands or it didn’t count?
 
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