Truancy (also known as wagging an/or jigging in Australia and Canada; (playing) hookey, ditching, pipping off, skipping or cutting class in the United States; skiving England; bunking Scotland; Dogging it or Dog it. It can also be called ducking) is a term used to describe any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically refers to absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to a medical condition. The exact meaning of the term itself is subject to differ from school to school, and is usually explicitly defined in the school's handbook of policies and procedures. Truancy is the term referring to an absence associated with the most brazen student irresponsibility and results in the greatest consequences.