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, the hide-and-seek call that brings hidden players safely back, is a playful reshaping of something more transparent, usually along the lines of all that are out, come in free. Celia from Arlington, Texas, grew up saying it in...
Subscribe to the fantastic A Way with Words newsletter!Martha and Grant send occasional fun messages with new episodes, in-person event dates, interesting linguistic tidbits, and more.
