Semper Ubi Sub Ubi
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Wayne:
February 23rd, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Recently had a discussion with old friends about some of the words we used as kids in the 1950’s growing up in New Zealand. “Tick a lock” came up and our use of it as 5-8 year olds was a promise not to cheat in “hide and seek”, you know, start searching for the others before the counting finished or “tag” somebody before they had a chance to get away in a game of, well, tag!
As New Zealand was a very “English” country, I can only assume that these terms came from England, where most of the people who settled there, came from.
Another word we used at the time in these games was “paxed”. This word meant, using a modern term, “time out” or “I’m not playing at the moment, pick some one else”.
Thank you for providing an interesting web site. I hope my thoughts on these old words helps somebody.
Bevan:
February 27th, 2013 at 1:06 am
“Paxed” is cool. IIRC it comes from the old habit of forcing young schoolchildren to learn Latin, in which “Pax” (see also “Pax Romana”) means “Peace” in the sense of “Cessation of Hostilities”.
It was in print in this sense at least as far back as Kipling’s “Stalky & Co.”, where the children would call out “Pax! Pax! Make it Pax!” while being tortured or otherwise put upon.
Outis:
December 30th, 2014 at 7:10 pm
“Old habit of forcing”? No value judgment there, surely.
John Magee:
February 25th, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Never heard tick a lock before!! and I have been a locksmith for over 20 years! Even googled it. Google’s first result was “shut your mouth”?? Guess that is not the meaning you are looking for.
“pick a lock” is very common. But that refers to opening it without a key.
Thanks for making me research hahaha :)
Angela:
April 26th, 2015 at 11:54 am
My grandmother told me it was like a time out or a safe place you go to in hide and seek so you were not ‘it’. Glad I am not the only one who heard of it. Yes, we live in the south.
d'Arci:
May 14th, 2015 at 6:12 pm
i’ve only heard it on t.v; we don’t use it in the north eastern u.s.
aunt bee didn’t say it often, though …. BARNEY did :^)
Minx:
December 21st, 2015 at 9:29 am
I agree with d’Arci. I just finished watching all the episodes of Andy Griffith on Netflix, and I only remember Aunt Bee saying it once. Barney said it all the time.
Missy:
February 4th, 2016 at 2:26 pm
I found this website after watching The Andy Griffith show because I got curious about the origin of the saying. I also noticed that the subtitles stated “take a lock,” when Barney Fife said it. I guess that was just a mistake by the subtitle company. I’d always heard it was tic a lock as well. Thanks for the info.
Mike Carter:
April 17th, 2016 at 7:40 pm
I’ve only heard the term, “tick a lock”, on the Andy Griffith Show, used by Don Knot’s character, Barney Fife! I don’t recall ever hearing “Aunt Bea’s”, or any other, use the term in that, or any other show!
Randall:
May 14th, 2016 at 7:59 am
I watch The Andy Griffith show at least 5 days a week, and I rarely here Aunt B say this phrase; I always here Barney Fife using it when he wants Andy to keep something a secret or undisclosed cause he is embarrassed or whatever. I have recently considered using it regularly in my repertoire of phrases. Haha -=80)
Tavie Allan:
September 1st, 2016 at 9:12 am
Just came across the same episode and did a web search, finding your 3 year old article – as helpful today as it was then! LOL – thanks so much for the info!!!
David Franks:
February 2nd, 2017 at 5:43 pm
My mother used to say “tickalock’ in the sense of “time out”, often in relating an anecdote about somebody getting a reprieve, and to my recollection in asking for a time out herself. She usually augmented it with “King’s X”.
Cathy:
June 6th, 2017 at 11:02 pm
Growing up in Australia in the 50s and 60s we said it all the time in our games. If we were being chased and we made it home safely we would mime shutting the door and turning the ley while saying “ticalock” to show that the bad guys were locked out. Interestingly we never locked our real doors. The town where we grew up was so safe that it wasn’t necessary.
Lincoln Karim:
July 14th, 2017 at 11:02 pm
The phrase is ‘TAKE A Lock’ not TICK
Melinda Hulbert:
March 3rd, 2018 at 5:29 am
My mom always told me to put a tickalock on so I would lock my lips and then swallow the key. lol My mouth was already locked. lol My grandma was German and my grandpa was English. My nickname was mouth so I wore a lot of tickalocks.
Rachelle Knapp:
April 17th, 2018 at 7:16 am
diArci….Aunt B used it quite a bit…lol I watch the show on Netflix.. All day everyday. It’s my show off choice. I’ve seen EVERY episode a dozen times or more lol…A few months ago it was Everybody Loves Raymond…. Know that series word by word too! LoL
Sarah:
February 22nd, 2019 at 4:48 pm
I grew up using a version, tickalocks/tickalox, as a way to save a seat if you have to get up. Such as watching a movie on the couch and you need to go to the bathroom real quick, you say tickalocks and no one can get your spot while you’re gone.
Louise:
July 29th, 2019 at 9:34 am
Played a hide and seek type game in the south. Tick-a-lock protected a player who found himself in jeopardy of being discovered. “Tick a lock, tick a lock all around” kept the player safe even if he was in plain view. Wow, we had fun !!! Aunt Bea uttered these words when she promised Andy she would not reveal his whereabouts on a much needed camping trip to the mountains.
Linda Turner:
January 12th, 2020 at 3:56 pm
My mom grew up in Kansas. She always used ticalock to mean stop talking about this and change the subject. It was usually applied in a senseless argument.
bill simpson:
July 23rd, 2020 at 3:27 pm
I remember as a kid in the fifties hearing WNEW disk jockey Jim Lowe use the phrase “tick a lock, king’s x” during his broadcast. For some reason I never forgot it all these years. Perhaps because I never figured out what it meant and it intrigued me. My eyes opened wide when I saw David Franks’ reply about his mother using it.
MARY NELSON:
August 14th, 2020 at 5:49 pm
Aunt Bea said “Mum’s my name, silence is my game, tick a lock!”
Cynthia Neal:
December 25th, 2020 at 9:00 pm
Otis uses the phrase “tick a lock” too. In the episode where he buys a car, he tells Andy & Barney to wake him at 8:00 a.m. The next day, Barney wants to wake him but Andy just thought it was something Otis said while he was drunk. Barney wakes him anyway. To their surprise, he really wants them to wake him because he’s saved up money to buy something he’s always wanted. They keep trying to get him to tell them what it is but finally Otis says, “Tick a lock” & leaves. He uses the hand motion in front of his mouth to mimic turning a key in a lock. Aunt Bee uses the phrase & Barney does too. I can tell you anything about that show. I’ve won Mayberry trivia bets. LOL
TAKE A BREAK:
September 9th, 2021 at 12:44 am
WRONG.