When busy in the playground and in need of a temporary pause from play, how would you describe this? A high number of respondents (40%) explained that children are likely to want some time out. This expression is clearly growing increasingly popular over time.
Some of the terms used in the early to mid-twentieth century seem to be on the decline. These include the terms fainites (London), barley (Liverpool and Manchester) and asking for a truce. Only small numbers of participants aged under the age of 25 mentioned these terms. Other words shared by older generations included keys (South Yorkshire) arley barley (Birmingham), exes (East Anglia), pax (London and Surrey) and crosses. Meanwhile, in northern areas that brush shoulders with Scotland, the term skinch was remembered. Over three quarters of people who told us that they use this word were over the age of 45, pointing to a dip in its popularity over time.
