LL-L "Games" 2004.08.27 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 27.AUG.2004 (08) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
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From: Kevin Caldwell <kcaldwell31 at comcast.net>
Subject: LL-L "Terminology" 2004.08.26 (06) [E]

> From: Ruth & Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
> Subject: LL-L "Terminology" 2004.08.25 (02) [E/S]
>
> Dear Kevin Caldwell, & All,
>
> Subject: LL-L "Etymology"
>
> > I don't recall this particular practice (crossing the fingers to be
> exempt
> > from a game) from when I was growing up.
>
> What about 'nix'? There is, I read, a lot of German in the American
> background, & I've heard some such use from U.S. boys. The Afrikaans
> equivalent is the same, meaning the same, only we spell it 'nieks' This is
> not Afrikaans, the cognate in our language being 'niks' pronounced 'n at ks'.
> It must be older than our Taal.

"Nix" sort of rings a bell, but I can't say it's use was widespread when I
was growing up.

> > It's always interesting to hear what different people's variations are
> on
> > the "Olly, olly in come free!" call in hide-and-seek.
>
> This sounds like the 'Ollie ollie oxen free' - 'All, all, oxen
> free?(guessing) which the English kids here use (meaning the whole herd
> goes
> safe into the paddock, none being kept out for slaughter): A gruesome
> bunch - infants.

"Ollie ollie oxen free" is one variation I've heard.  Supposedly the
original form was "All who are out are in free" (which I've also heard), and
it is used in hide-and-seek as follows (at least, this is how we played):

The seeker ("It"), having counted to 50 (or whatever number was decided
beforehand) with eyes closed, calls "Ready or not, here I come!"  He then
goes out looking for the hiders.  The hiders, meanwhile, try to escape
detection while trying to reach the "base" or "home".  If a hider reaches
home undetected, he can shout "All who are out are in free!", at which point
all the hiders who have not yet been found by "It" run for home.  "It" can
try to tag them before they reach home, in which case they are out.

I have heard the following variations on "All who are out are in free":

Ollie ollie in come free
Ollie ollie in come free-o
Ollie ollie oxen free
Ollie ollie oxen free-o
Ole Ole Olsen free (more common in areas settled by Scandinavians?)
Ole Ole Olsen free-o

I've also heard speculation that the "ollie ollie" part, rather than being a
corruption of "all", is a corruption of French "allez".

The vocal pitch is also interesting on these calls.  In the ones that don't
end in "-o", the pitch drops on "are", "come", "-en" or "-sen".  In the ones
ending in "-o", the pitch doesn't drop until the "-o".  The two pitches are
the same ones that occur in many mocking calls (sol-mi in the relative
scale), like the "air ball" cry in basketball, or "nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah,
nyah" (which goes "sol-mi-fa-sol-mi").

Kevin Caldwell

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