What does ollyollyoxenfree mean?

[Karen in Eastern WA]

I can't remember what it is used for. The kids are out playing games right now and I told them it means "I give up" when trying to find someone playing hide and seek but I think that is wrong?

[Sue G in PA]

I can't remember what it is used for. The kids are out playing games right now and I told them it means "I give up" when trying to find someone playing hide and seek but I think that is wrong?

I remember it meaning that, too. For some reason I seem to remember using that phrase along with, "Come out, come out wherever you are!".

[Prairie~Phlox]

Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olly_olly_oxen_free

Phlox

[urpedonmommy]

We used it in a game called Ghosts in the Graveyard. Similar to kick the can, but "It" guarded a tree or other given "home" while trying to find hiders. If you made it to the tree without getting tagged, you were safe. If "IT" tagged someone else, they called olly olly oxen free to let other hiders know that round was over and there was a new "IT"

[newbie]

We always used it for hide and seek.

Jet

[Jann in TX]

This is what I always thought it was...

[Mom to Aly]

I had friends, when I was young, in India, who would say, "All yee, all yee, all's in free", and I thought it was just a quirk, but I've never known. ???

Kiran

[Carol in Cal.]

In hide and seek, it means that if you are seen or tagged running 'home' from then on, you won't be 'caught.' At least that is how we played it when I was a kid.

[Katia]

We always said "allee allee in free" really loud to let the others kids that were still hidden in a game of Hide and Seek know that they could come out "free" from being caught because someone else had already been caught OR to let them know a new game was beginning.

In other words, all could come in free. When I read the wikipedia article it sounded very much like that was what it was saying as well.

[summer]

Yes..it basically means you give up and everyone is free to come out and won't lose over it.