<P> Last tag was played in the early 20th century, when it was a way to say goodbye when leaving school for home . A player tags another and makes them "it" before leaving on their way home . There is no tagging back . It was a point of honor not to be left with the last tag . If a player is unable to tag anyone by the end of the game, they became "it" the next day . </P> <P> Octopus tag is a mix between Red Rover and tag . "It," or "octopus," attempts to tag the other players . The playing field is known as the ocean . The players, or "fish," line up along one side of the ocean . When the Octopus calls out, "Come fishies come!", they try to run to the other side without getting tagged . In a variation, once the fish run to the other side without getting tagged, the game pauses until the octopus starts it again . Upon getting tagged the fish become "seaweed" and must freeze or sit where they were tagged, but they can wave their arms around and assist the Octopus in tagging other fish within their reach . The last fish to be tagged becomes the next Octopus . This game can also be played in the water and then it is called Sharks and Minnows . </P> <P> Cops and robbers, sometimes called "jail", "jail tag", "team tag", "chase", "police and thief", "prisoner's base" "jailbreak", "release" (in South Philly), "releaseo" or "manhunt", has players split into two teams: cops and robbers . </P> <P> A.M. Burrage calls this version of the game "Smee" in his 1931 ghost story of the same name . The cops, who are in pursuit of robbers (the team being chased), arrest the robbers by tagging and putting them in jail . Robbers can stage a jailbreak by tagging one of the prisoners without getting tagged themselves . The game ends if all the robbers are in jail . In a variant, the robbers have five minutes to hide before being hunted, and only one jailbreak may be allowed per robber . </P>

Where did the name tag come from for the game