What does olly olly oxenfreeze mean?

Question

Ive heard it on American movies for years and still dont know what theyre saying or what it means?

Answer 1

It's from a children's game. I think the wording is actually "all the, all the oxen free", but most children playing it don't know what that means either, so they just say something that sounds like it.

In the game, it means that it is safe to come out of hiding. Children hide in various places and one child is the designated seeker (called "it"). "It" covers his eyes and counts (usually to 20, but the number is agreed upon by the players). The counting location is called "base" (usually a specific piece of furniture or a tree). When he is done counting, he yells "ready or not, here I come" (another phrase you'll hear out of context in American movies) and starts looking for the hidden children. When he finds a child, he must touch ("tag") him to get him "out". If a child is found, he can run to avoid being tagged and if he is able to tag the base before being tagged by It, he is "home free." If a child manages to tag the base without being seen or chased by It, then he calls "All the, all the oxen free!" and everyone can come out of hiding. If this happens, It has to be It again. Otherwise the next It is the last child tagged out.

The oxen reference is probably because the game is similar to a cowboy rounding up stray cattle.

Answer 2

I think it is an Americanization of a German phrase, "Alle, Alle aus sind frei", which means "everyone (everyone) out is free". This is the part of the game of "Hide and Seek" where the finder gives up looking and allows everyone to come out from hiding without penalty.
In the American culture, this has morphed into "olly olly oxen free" and its various forms.

Answer 3

The story I have heard on this is that the original saying was "All boats dock in early free" which is what was yelled out to the boaters near a ship yard, so they would hustle back into the docks to save money. The actual saying has evolved over time, but the saying still means to come running back in.