History Main / Safeword

[[quoteright:200:[[Franchise/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/safewordbatman_695.png]]]]

* In the third ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' film, ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAge3DawnOfTheDinosaurs Dawn of the Dinosaurs]]'', Manny and Ellie choose "Peaches" as the code word for if Ellie goes into labor while they're down in the world of the dinosaurs (which she does, though she and the baby are ultimately safe). Notably, Ellie forgets it at first and starts shouting out random fruits until she finally lands on the right one. They end up naming their baby (who turns out to be a girl) "Peaches," so it turns into a MeaningfulName.

* In the third ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' film, ''[[WesternAnimation/IceAge3DawnOfTheDinosaurs Dawn of the Dinosaurs]]'', Manny and Ellie choose "Peaches" as the code word for if Ellie goes into labor while they're down in the world of the dinosaurs (which she does, though she and the baby are ultimately safe). They end up naming their baby (who turns out to be a girl) "Peaches," so it turns into a MeaningfulName.

* In the third ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' film, Manny and Ellie choose "Peaches" as the code word for if Ellie goes into labor while they're down in the world of the dinosaurs (which she does, though she and the baby are ultimately safe). They end up naming their baby (who turns out to be a girl) "Peaches," so it turns into a MeaningfulName.

* ''The Last Hot Time'': Appears in this story by Creator/JohnMFord, as the hero learns about BDSM.
* ''A Strong Hand'': In Catt Ford's story, the main couple use the safe words "London" (for stop) and "yellow" (for slow down).

* Used in [[http://www.unshelved.com/2007-10-13 this]] ''Webcomic/{{Unshelved}}'' strip (involving yoga).
* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' teaches us chemists have the [[http://xkcd.com/1039/ worst safewords]].

* The currently-in-development adult otome game ''The Confectionary'' has the monster, ahem, companions each have their own personalized safe words; "rawhide" for Cinnamon, "headshy" for Sweets, "drought" for Black Pudding, "heartscale" for Jawbreaker, and so on.

[[folder:Real Life]]
%%Please note that: No sexual or sexualized Real Life Examples Please. Non-sexual examples are okay.
* Most full contact LARP groups have some sort of safe word that is usually relayed until everybody within earshot will immediately drop any weapons and listen for the coordinator. This is used in the case of injury, immediate danger, or urgent group-wide announcements.
** The international AMTGARD standards for [=LARPing=] combat use 'Hold!' or an equivalent translation, as of the 2011 rulebook. (This may be derived from the Society for Creative Anachronism's practice, noted below.)
** Purely martial sword training groups use "Hold!" as well.
** Russian and other post-Soviet [=LARPers=] usually shout "STOP TIME" (yes, in English, which is not normally used in dialogue). A whistle can also be used, but it is more rare since not all coordinators carry them.
* On shooting ranges, "Cease Fire!" is the universal safeword, meaning that ''everybody'' unloads, disarms, and puts the guns down.
* Martial Arts that involve grappling and/or partner drill will have usually something along these lines, with "tapping out" being the most common. Many instructors teach "tapping out" in a way that tapping your partner is your first priority; if you can't reach your partner you have to either tap yourself or the ground. This is extremely important if you're working on anything that has to do with the neck, especially if you're unable to speak or breathe.
** There is a secondary purpose to "tapping out." A lot of martial arts relies on muscle memory and habit, so you do not want to get into the habit of stopping your movements against a legitimate threat when they mutter "ouch" or "this hurts."
* ProWrestling has their own version of a safe word whenever an incident (such as a legit injury) occurs that requires intervention from either medical personnel or backstage agents/management. A referee will typically form an "X" with their arms (sometimes raised over their head) to signal to the back that something is wrong and that the match can no longer proceed as planned.
* "Cut" or "Reset" is this on any film set - it means "stop what you are doing and return to where you were."
* The Society for Creative Anachronism uses "Hold!" as a safeword, basically indicating that everyone should freeze. "Edge of the world" is also used to warn fighters they're close to stepping off the playing field (and into spectators).
* When Creator/ChristopherHitchens [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efh_6_-tHgY agreed to be waterboarded]] for an article in Vanity Fair, he was given not only a safeword ("red") but two metal objects he could drop as an additional nonvocal signal. He used it within a few seconds and afterwards stated that he didn't merely "drop" the objects but threw them down as hard as he could.
--> "We're going to place metal objects in each of your hands. These objects are to be released if you experience unbearable stress. As soon as you release one or both, this exercise and demonstration will end immediately."
* It is possible for actors and actresses to be given Safe Words during scenes, where their character is meant to be in danger and/or pain (e.g., drawn-out death scenes in the ''Film/{{Final Destination}}'' franchise, the rape scene from ''Film/ISpitOnYourGrave'') for when they themselves are experiencing real pain, as simply screaming things like "Stop!" or "Help!" could easily be misconstrued as adlibbing, which they have been most likely told to do in these scenes. Often, this will be the actor yelling "Cut!" instead of the director as the signal that they want the scene to stop.
* A visual safe word is used in motorsports. If the red flag is waved, then all cars must either head to pit lane and stop, or pull off the racing line and stop, depending on the series and the circumstances. It's only waved when going around the track is no longer safe or a driver has been badly injured and safety crews need plenty of space to extract him or her and move them to an ambulance or similar.
* The Blackout Haunted House is a haunted house that makes its participants go through all kinds of psychological torments. It's so extreme that participants have to sign waivers before they're even allowed to go inside. However, a guest can yell "SAFETY!" at any time to be escorted out.
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* ''Four Christmases'': The main characters are visiting the parents. They decide to use the word "mistletoe" for when they cannot take it any longer and want an excuse to leave.

* ProWrestling has their own version of a safe word whenever an incident (such as a legit injury) occurs that requires intervention from either medical personnel or backstage agents/management. A referee will typically raise his/her arms and form an "X" to signal to the back that something is wrong and that the match can no longer proceed as planned.

** In the later book ''Lady Slings the Booze'' one of Lady Sally's employees explains the concept of safewords to an outsider. They use two: "the First Word" (called Yellow in the trope description) and "the Second Word" (Red).

* Louis in ''Series/{{Suits}}'': "Safewords are for pussies." (Warning: In real life this is bad BDSM practise and can lead to unintended sexual assault, safe words are important.)

--> '''Client:''' "How sweet" is my safeword, mistress!
--> '''Candy:''' Well not any more! Guess the new one!

* Most full contact LARP groups have some sort of safe word that is usually relayed until everybody within earshot will immediately drop any weapons and listen for the coordinator. This is used in the case of injury, immediate danger, or urgent group wide announcements.

** Russian and other post-Soviet [=LARPers=] usually shout "STOP TIME" (yes, in English, which is not normally used in dialogue). A whistle can also be used, but it is more rare, since not all coordinators carry them.

* When Creator/ChristopherHitchens [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efh_6_-tHgY agreed to be waterboarded]] for an article in Vanity Fair, he was given not only a safeword ("red"), but two metal objects he could drop as an additional nonvocal signal. He used it within a few seconds, and afterwards stated that he didn't merely "drop" the objects but threw them down as hard as he could.

* The Blackout Haunted House is a haunted house that makes its partcipants go through all kinds of psychological torments. It's so extreme that participants have to sign waivers before they're even allowed to go inside. However, a guest can yell "SAFETY!" at any time to be escorted out.

* Louis in ''Series/{{Suits}}'': "Safewords are for pussies."

In the American UsefulNotes/{{BDSM}} subculture, three safe words are widespread: Red for full stop emergency shutdown, yellow for "This is too hard, I need us to slow down," and green for "Don't mind my screams, you can push harder." Some communites/cultures add "beige" for "I'm bored, get to it already!" (usually seen as TemptingFate). Other countries' BDSM scenes can be considerably more lax, though, with some even forgoing safewords altogether and placing the responsibility on the dom to ensure that things don't get out of hand. Sometimes, such as when the bottom is gagged or may have difficulty verbalizing under stress, a setup is employed where the bottom holds an object that will make a noticeable noise when dropped and drops it as their safe "word".

* It is possible for actors and actresses to be given Safe Words during scenes, where their character is meant to be in danger and/or pain (e.g., drawn-out death scenes in the ''Film/{{Final Destination}}'' franchise) for when they themselves are experiencing real pain, as simply screaming things like "Stop!" or "Help!" could easily be misconstrued as adlibbing, which they have been most likely told to do in these scenes. Often, this will be the actor yelling "Cut!" instead of the director as the signal that they want the scene to stop.

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[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

[[folder: Film-Animated]]

* ''Disney/TheJungleBook'': The elephants will only stop marching when they hear the word "halt" rather than "stop", something that Bagheera manages to figure out.

[[folder: Film-Live Action ]]

* In ''Film/{{Deadpool 2016}}'', Wade, as he's being strapped to an examination table in Ajax's laboratory, suggests "Pork N Beans" as a safe word.

[[folder: Literature ]]

--> “A deranged asshole gets into my apartment to kidnap my wife. She won’t do as she’s told. She drives me crazy. She safe words on me.”

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''[[Series/TheOfficeUS The Office]]'': Michael becomes Jan's partner for a period in the third season, but is unnerved by her many fetishes and fondness for roleplay. But he's too much of a wimp to leave her, even when she "forgets" their safe word. Luckily [[spoiler:he manages to by the end of the episode.]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' has a brothel named Safe Word, a club for those with BDSM tastes. Kinzie mentions hers is "teacup" and she is quickly spirited away before she can reveal more [[{{Squick}} squicky]] bits of information. In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'', a recreated AI [[HeelFaceTurn Tanya]] tells Kinzie she'd make a good addition to her brothel, Kinzie quickly cries out "[[CallBack Teacup!]]"

[[folder: Visual Novels ]]

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[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* When Creator/ChristopherHitchens [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efh_6_-tHgY agreed to be waterboarded]] for an article in Vanity Fair, he was given not only a safeword ("red"), but two metal objects he could drop as an additional nonvocal signal. [[spoiler: He used it within a few seconds, and afterwards stated that he didn't merely "drop" the objects but threw them down as hard as he could.]]

* Invoked in ''Film/{{Serenity}}'': the phrase that puts [[AxCrazy River]] to sleep is referred to as one of these. Strangely, it's a popular Russian idiom that wouldn't make for a good code phrase in RealLife (it literally translates to "it's for chickens to laugh at" and means "it's ridiculous"). There must be no Russian-speakers at all in this system.

* Martial Arts that involve grappling and/or partner drill will have usually something along these lines, with "tapping out" being the most common.
** Many instructors teach "tapping out" in a way that tapping your partner is your first priority,if you can't reach your partner you have to either tap yourself or the ground. This is extremely important if you're working on anything that has to do with the neck, especially if you're unable to speak or breathe.

* It is possible for actors and actresses to be given Safe Words during scenes, where their character is meant to be in danger and/or pain (e.g. drawn-out death scenes in the ''Film/{{Final Destination}}'' franchise) for when they themselves are experiencing real pain, as simply screaming things like "Stop!" or "Help!" could easily be misconstrued as adlibbing, which they have been most likely told to do in these scenes. Often, this will be the actor yelling "Cut!" instead of the director as the signal that they want the scene to stop.

* It is possible for actors and actresses to be given Safe Words during scenes, where their character is meant to be in danger and/or pain (e.g. drawn-out death scenes in the Film/{{Final Destination}} franchise) for when they themselves are experiencing real pain, as simply screaming things like "Stop!" or "Help!" could easily be misconstrued as adlibbing, which they have been most likely told to do in these scenes.

* In the ''WebVideo/BumReviews'' ''50 Shades'' epiaode, Chester's safe word is "change" when he's being dominated for money.