Tag is a playground game involving one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" and mark them out of play, usually by touching with a hand. Usually, when a person is tagged, the tagger says, "Tag, you're 'It'!" The last one tagged during tag is "It" for the next round. The game is...
Tag is a playground game involving one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" and mark them out of play, usually by touching with a hand. Usually, when a person is tagged, the tagger says, "Tag, you're 'It'!" The last one tagged during tag is "It" for the next round. The game is known by other names in various parts of the world, including "running and catching" in India and "catch and cook" in the Middle East. In 2018, the popular internet meme "How old when you were when you found out ____" began circulating stating that the meaning of the word tag was an acronym meaning 'touch and go'. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the origin of the name 'tag' is unknown, while the Oxford Dictionary of English speculates it to be a variant of 'tig', which is speculated to be a variant of 'tick'. Tag-like games have been played throughout history since as far back as the fourth century BC. The Greek poet Erinna, in her poem The Distaff, speaks of a tag-like game where one girl, the "tortoise", chases other girls, and the tagged girl becomes the new "tortoise". Ancient Greek boys also played the Ostrakinda. History of specific Indian tag variants: Some Indian variations of tag are theorized to represent certain things from ancient Indian history; for example, there is evidence to suggest that the traditional Bengali game of gollachut, in which players attempt to run out of a circular field without being tagged by opponents, may represent escape attempts by slaves during the Indus Valley Civilization. Major modern competitions for tag-like games include World Chase Tag,Pro Kabaddi League, and Ultimate Kho Kho. The player selected to be "it" then chases the others, attempting to "tag" one of them as the others try to avoid being tagged. In some variations, the previous "it" is no longer "it" and the game can continue indefinitely, while in others, both players remain "it" and the game ends when all players have become "it". Many variants modify the rules for team play or place restrictions on tagged players' behavior. The term "gool" was first recorded in print in Massachusetts in the 1870s, and is common in the northern states of the US. In much of Canada and parts of the northern United States, the state or home base of being immune from tagging is known as "times" or "T", most likely as mutilation of "time out". Players may also make themselves safe from being tagged by the use of a truce term.