Sir: When I was a little girl, we used to play "Hide and Go Seek." When the person who was "it" caught one other person, "it" would yell, "ali, ali, oxen free," and all the rest of the players would come in free. Do you know the origin of this expression?
- Hazel D. Answer: Those words, spelled a variety of ways, have been around for a long time, and the first word - usually rendered "olly" - dates back to various calls by British schoolchildren. Probably, it simply means "all in." And as for "oxen," the theory is that it also means "all in." So you have "all in, all in, all in free."The way kids confuse expressions has been commented on by William and Mary Morris, among others. "The capacity of children this age to confuse and corrupt common expressions is well-known," they note, "like the child who recited `Deliver me not into temptation,' as `Deliver me not into Penn Station.' " And, in this "sweet land of liver tea," no one should be surprised.
Sir: Is the word "gotten" a proper word? I was born and raised in England and I never heard of this word until I came to America.
- Winifred F. Answer: So aren't you glad you came? "Gotten" is indeed a proper word in conversation in America, and I don't know how the British have gotten along without it. Even in this country, "gotten" isn't completely approved for formal written use, but how many of us indulge in formal writing? And when we're speaking of the act of acquiring something, what'll you say if you don't say he has gotten so-and-so? He has garnered? He has collected? Oh, come on, Brits.
QUIZZICAL question of the week, asked by Peggy S.:
"I heard someone on television say `At a sale you can buy clothes for kids that didn't sell.' Do you suppose the kids didn't sell because they weren't for sale?"
Send questions, comments, and good and bad examples to Lydel Sims, Watch Your Language, 366 S. Highland, Apt. 410, Memphis, Tenn. 38111. If you quote a book, please give author, title and page number. Sorry, but questions can be answered only through this column.