Barley-break names an old English country game that poets of the 17th and 18th centuries often mentioned. In poetry, the phrase usually appears as a cultural allusion rather than a living game reference, and it may evoke youthful play, courtship, or the old expression the last couple in hell for the pair left behind in the game.
It was played by three pairs composed of one of each sex, who were stationed in three bases or plots, contiguous to each other. The couple occupying the middle base, called hell or prison, endeavoured to catch the other two, who, when chased, might break to avoid being caught. If one was overtaken, he and his companion were condemned to hell. From this game was taken the expression "the last couple in hell," often used in old plays.
Example
They laughed at dusk beside the hedge,
Three couples racing through the rye;
And when the last were trapped at "hell,"
The others ran, then turned to sigh.