Knee-crooking

With his usual dose of commonsense he recognized that nothing could really change the status quo, and all that a knee-crooking knave might do in protest was to sneak a line or two into his verse simply to let off steam […]

The Norman said nothing, but he did what the bystanders considered rather surprising in a knee-crooking Frenchman. Neither bending his body nor doffing his helmet, he folded his arms across his breast and looked straight into the Lucky One's eyes.