TagOllie

All Out Are In Free!

Kylie Ryan, an elementary-school teacher in Seattle, Washington, remembers that when she played hide-and-seek as a child, the call for everyone to come in was alle alle oxen free. Are there other versions? Yes, and because these sayings were not...

Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

Did you say ollie ollie oxen free to draw people out of hiding during hide-and-seek? Or maybe you said one of the other versions of this phrase, such as all-ee, all-ee, in free, or Ole Ole Olson all in free. This is part of a complete episode...

J-hopping

J-hopping  n.— «To jump a pair of foot-high tree roots spanning a trail in Woodland Park, mountain bike instructor Simon Lawton uses a technique called J-hopping which, like the Ollie skateboard move, is something I still can’t get my head around...

Ally, Ally, in Free

Speaking of the more recent past: When you played hide-and-seek as a child, did you yell “Ollie, Ollie Oxen Free”? Or “Ally Ally in Free”? Or maybe “Ally Ally Ump Free”? “Ole Ole Olsen Free”? Or something else? A caller in Montevideo, Uruguay, is...