Ringolevio
Ringolevio (also spelled ringalevio or ring-a-levio) is a children's game which originated in the streets of New York City, where it is known to have been played at least as far back as the late 19th century. It is one of the many variations of tag. It requires close teamwork and near-military strategy. In Canada, the game is known as Relievio, a name which was also used in Boston and Ireland in the 1950s. It is also, in some places, known as coco-levio. American activist and author Emmett Grogan wrote a fictionalized autobiography called  Ringolevio, which was published in 1972. Grogan wrote: "It's a game. A game played on the streets of New York, for as long as anyone can remember. It is called Ringolevio, and the rules are simple. There are two sides, each with the same number of players. There are no time limits, no intermissions, no substitutes and no weapons allowed. There are two jails. There is one objective." It is believed that the game was brought over from the British Isles, due to its similarities to a game called Bedlams or Relievo. According to Stewart Culin, "relievo" became "ring  relievo" and then "ringoleavio". A similar game, called Prisoner's Base, was played by members of Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery against a group of Nez Perce. Rules. The game typically splits players into two teams, one of "hunters" and one of "prey". A confined area called "jail" is marked. Games often have set boundaries of how far from the jail pursued players can go. The goal of the hunting team is to catch the "prey" by grabbing hold of them and performing a chant. This chant varies between regions, with different versions of the game using chants such  as "chain chain double chain, no break away" and "Ringolevio, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3". If the pursued person breaks free at any point during this brief recitation, the person is not caught and can still play. If the chant is finished, the hunter takes the prey to jail (also called the "base" in some variations) and the captive is considered "out". The prey can free captured team members by entering the jail without being caught, tagging the captives and shouting, "All in! All in! Free-all!" (other phrases used include "All in, all in, all  in, free allo" and "Olly olly oxen free"). In some variations, the pursuing team cannot station any player of their team within line of sight of the jail. This is called "babysitting" (the term "puppy-guarding" is also used). The cry of "babysitting" can be made by anyone in the jail who feels that any member of the opposing team is lingering near the jail and blocking their rescue. The goal of the pursuing team is to catch all the members of the other team, and "capture" them in the jail/base. The team being pursued tries to avoid  capture and, if possible, free their jailed comrades. The game ends when one team has caught all the members of the opposing team, at which point the teams change their roles. In popular culture. In addition to Emmet Grogan's eponymous book, the game is mentioned in: Notes and references. Notes Citations