Aparley (from French:parler – "to speak") is adiscussion orconference, especially one designed to end an argument or hostilities between two groups of people. As a verb, the term can be used in bothpast andpresent tense; in present tense the term is referred to asparleying.[1][2][3][4] In some cases, opposing parties would signal their intent to invoke parley by using awhite flag,[5] however the use of a white flag to invoke or request parley is not considered mandatory.
The termparley has been used to refer to numerous high-profile meetings of the 20th century, including theLondon and Paris Conferences held in 1954 to determine the status ofWest Germany.[6]
In the 2013 filmRiddick, Riddick and the mercenaries are forced to parley to reach an agreement so both sides could escape an impending storm. The mercenaries violate the spirit of parley by capturing Riddick and killing his dog.
In the 2017Fear the Walking Dead episode, "The Unveiling", Jake Otto and Chief Qaletaqa Walker agree to parley, in order to spare bloodshed in their escalating feud over land. However, Madison Clark goads Troy Otto to violate the parley rules of engagement by leading a surreptitious "rescue mission" to extract Alicia from the Black Hat reservation. The rescuers are discovered, blood is shed, and the temporary truce is broken.[7]
In the filmThe Warriors during the midpoint a segment of the Warriors gang encounter a sub-par outfit called The Orphans. The Orphans are illegitimate to the point of not even being on the map. The supposed war chief of the orphans says to Swan "No permits? No parley?".
In theHBO dramaThe Wire, one of the characters,Proposition Joe, uses parley (sitting down and talking) to unite warring heroin dealing factions in Baltimore.
