<P> Olly olly oxen free 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 . </P> <P> 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). </P> <P> Olly olly umphrey, olly olly ee, olly olly auction free, outtie outtie let's be free, olly olly oxen tree, all - y all - y all set free, All - Ye All - Ye In Come Free, and Alle Alle Auch Sind Frie . olly olly in come free, ally alley ocean free, olly olly ogden free, etc . </P>

Where did the term olly olly oxen free come from
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