<P> Olly olly oxen free ( and variants : olly olly umphrey , olly olly ee , outtie outtie let 's be free , olly olly oxen tree , all - y all - y all set free , All - Ye All - Ye In Come Free . olly olly in come free , ally alley ocean free , olly olly ogden free , etc . ) is a catchphrase used in children 's games such as hide and seek , capture the flag , or kick the can to indicate that players who are hiding can come out into the open without losing the game , that the position of the sides in a game has changed ( as in which side is in the field or which side is at bat or `` up '' in baseball or kickball ) , or , alternatively , that the game is entirely over . Cassidy and Hall write that the phrase may be derived from all ye , all ye outs in free , all the outs in free , or possibly calling all the `` outs '' in free ; in other words , all who are out may come in without penalty . Various calls used for such purposes have gone by the collective name of `` ollyoxalls '' in some places . Tukey and Rowell speculate that the phrase may be a corruption of a hypothetical and ungrammatical German phrase alle , alle , auch sind frei ( all , all , are also free ) . Another possible origin might be the Greek language . Óloi óloi éxo ( ολει ολει εξον ) would translate to `` everybody everybody out . '' </P>
<P> Olly olly oxen free ( and variants : olly olly umphrey , olly olly ee , outtie outtie let 's be free , olly olly oxen tree , all - y all - y all set free , All - Ye All - Ye In Come Free . olly olly in come free , ally alley ocean free , olly olly ogden free , etc . ) is a catchphrase used in children 's games such as hide and seek , capture the flag , or kick the can to indicate that players who are hiding can come out into the open without losing the game , that the position of the sides in a game has changed ( as in which side is in the field or which side is at bat or `` up '' in baseball or kickball ) , or , alternatively , that the game is entirely over . Cassidy and Hall write that the phrase may be derived from all ye , all ye outs in free , all the outs in free , or possibly calling all the `` outs '' in free ; in other words , all who are out may come in without penalty . Various calls used for such purposes have gone by the collective name of `` ollyoxalls '' in some places . Tukey and Rowell speculate that the phrase may be a corruption of a hypothetical and ungrammatical German phrase alle , alle , auch sind frei ( all , all , are also free ) . Another possible origin might be the Greek language . Óloi óloi éxo ( ολει ολει εξον ) would translate to `` everybody everybody out . '' </P>
where did ollie ollie oxen free come from
where did ollie ollie oxen free come from
the phrase may be derived from all ye , all ye outs in free , all the outs in free , or possibly calling all the `` outs '' in free ; in other words , all who are out may come in without penalty
the phrase may be derived from all ye , all ye outs in free , all the outs in free , or possibly calling all the `` outs '' in free ; in other words , all who are out may come in without penalty