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dumb ox

Someone who is large in size and is apt to behave stupidly. Usually used of a man. Can you believe that dumb ox is still pushing the door marked "pull"? Yeah, he's a linebacker for the football team, but he's no dumb ox—he's at the top of his class academically. In the end, I didn't need to throw a single punch—the dumb ox tripped, fell, and knocked himself out all on his own.
See also: dumb, ox

olly olly oxen free

A phrase used to indicate that it is OK to come home or to a home base. It is commonly used in children's games. All the kids ran back to the starting point when Brian yelled, "Olly olly oxen free!"
See also: free, olly, oxen
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

dumb ox

n. a large and stupid person, usually a man. Do you think I’m going to argue with that big dumb ox?
See also: dumb, ox
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

All-y all-y oxen free!

It's safe to return home. This hide-and-seek and kick-the-can game catchphrase assures players that they can return to the starting point without penalty. Generations of mothers summoned children home to supper by standing on the porch and yelling the phrase.
See also: oxen
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price
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References in periodicals archive ?
The two oxen consumed 85 per cent of the rice, 90 per cent of the corn and 85 per cent of the beans presented to them.
Ploughing ceremony oxen speak
In preliminary investigation, the detainees revealed that they had stolen the said oxen and they were being transported to other districts for selling them.
Robbers gang busted, valuables recovered
The musk oxen had in fact gone extinct in Alaska, and in 1935, 34 animals were reintroduced from Greenland!
Musk Ox Face An Uncertain Future
This aptitude can be an aid in training, but it can also be a challenge--to have your oxen defer to you and not fall into a certain habit, such as always turning in the field at a certain spot.
Training oxen part 3 working a team
At the ceremony, seven golden trays holding rice, corn, beans, sesame, grass, water and rice wine are laid out for a pair of royal oxen.
Cambodia's royal oxen predict good corn crops this year
Globally, there are 300 to 400 million oxen being worked today because they can provide a capable, practical, economical alternative to the tractor on a small farm, even in the modern world.
Farming with oxen: your first tractor might come with eight feet
Levies sources said Mohammad Aslam and his fellow labourers riding an oxen cart were going to fields when the ox hit a landmine which exploded with a bang.
Landmine explosion in Dera Bugti
Proverbs 14:4 alludes to the significance of the ox--"Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox." (2)
Wargames, modeling, and simulation
Farmer Charles James, 31, trained young steer Oxo to pull a cart after reading how oxen were the main means of traction in ancient times.
Farmer on the moove; TRANSPORT
Knowing of Audree's interest in oxen, he asked if she would like to work with his new calf.
Training a "cow's moo"
The enterprising journalists purchased Red River Carts and oxen, loaded their equipment and, along with Reverend John Black and his family, headed off.
The Nor'Wester comes to Red River
A two-page summary of fascinating facts about musk oxen closes this delightful adventure, illustrated in full color, recommended for readers age 3 and up.
The Itchy Little Musk Ox
There is even extensive background information on the natural history of musk oxen, conservation efforts, and the fiber quality and use of their fur which is the source of Qiviut (or musk ox down), felt by many to be the world's warmest, lightest-weight fiber and a mainstay of Alaska's native knitters.
Arctic Lace
Tony Moore is campaigning against the racing of oxen in a chariot-style dash through remote Italian villages.
MERSEY MAN FIGHTS WAR ON CRUELTY
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