2007-06-05 05:30:47 · 3 answers · asked by jdog 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
It is the phrase used when the children's game "Hide & Seek" is over.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olly_Olly_Oxen_Free
2007-06-05 05:34:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Olly olly oxen free is a phrase used in children's games, which is generally used to indicate that people who are hiding (in a game of hide and seek, for example) can safely come out into the open
The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but etymologists suspect it is a childish corruption of a phrase that would have made more sense in the Hide-and-seek context; such as "all ye, all ye, oxen free!", "all in free", "out’s in free", "all set free", "All ye all ye outs in free", or "All the, all the outs in free"; or possibly a corruption of the German "Alle, alle auch sind frei", (literally, "Everyone, everyone also is free
2007-06-05 12:35:26 · answer #2 · answered by ™Tootsie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry to cut and paste but Wikipedia had a good answer...
"The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but etymologists suspect it is a childish corruption of a phrase that would have made more sense in the Hide-and-seek context; such as "all ye, all ye, oxen free!", "all in free", "out’s in free", "all set free", "All ye all ye outs in free", or "All the, all the outs in free"; or possibly a corruption of the German "Alle, alle auch sind frei", (literally, "Everyone, everyone also is free")."
2007-06-05 12:34:44 · answer #3 · answered by Pico 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋