A peace feeler is, in
diplomacy
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
, a means of determining whether a warring party is prepared to end hostilities.
William Safire
William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He ...
defines it as "a diplomatic probe, real or imagined, to end hostilities."
[Safire's Political Dictionary, p. 528]
References
Diplomacy
{{mil-stub