English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From the common occurrence in such songs of an exhortation beginning "come all you".

Noun

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come-all-you (plural come-all-yous)

  1. (dialectal, British, Ireland) A traditional folk or country song.
    • 2006, Patrick McCabe, Winterwood, Bloomsbury, published 2007, page 3:
      He slapped his thighs and whooped and catcalled, encouraging anyone who knew it to join in the ‘traditional come-all-you’!