cat and mouse

noun

Also called cat and rat . a children's game in which players in a circle keep a player from moving into or out of the circle and permit a second player to move into or out of the circle to escape the pursuing first player.

Western U.S. tick-tack-toe (def. 1).

Idioms for cat and mouse

play cat and mouse, to engage in a gamelike relationship in which evasion and pursuit are used: They played cat and mouse for a while before she consented to go out with him.

play cat and mouse with,

to toy or trifle with.
to use strategy on one's opponent, especially while waiting to strike: The detective played cat and mouse with the suspect.

Origin of cat and mouse

First recorded in 1910–15

Words nearby cat and mouse

catamnesis, catamount, catamountain, catananche, cat-and-dog, cat and mouse, Catania, Cataño, Catanzaro, cataphasia, cataphasis

Example sentences from the Web for cat and mouse

So Western governments are caught in a cat-and-mouse game and at times it is unclear who is the cat and who the mouse.
ISIS Has a Message. Do We?|Jamie Dettmer|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He became suspicious and so began what he refers to as a “cat-and-mouse game” between him and his former agency.
How Models Get Robbed on the Runway|Jennifer Sky|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The revelations in October began a game of cat-and-mouse between the Demon Killer and the police.
‘I Will Commit a Massacre’|Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky|February 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, I don't know what happens to the employees, who are the mouse in this cat-and-mouse game.
Counting Full Time Employees|Megan McArdle|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Lipkin-Shahak was no stranger to the cat-and-mouse dynamic that has so often kept the Middle East in a chokehold.
Saying Goodbye To Lipkin-Shahak|Mira Sucharov|December 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was like playing a game of cat-and-mouse with him, Wilson Lamb, the cat.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The cat-and-mouse game with the other sex is a good game; but I can play your head off at it.
Heartbreak House|George Bernard Shaw
It was a sort of defiance that he was throwing at me, an ultimatum that I should either end my cat-and-mouse game, or let him go.
The Tale Of Mr. Peter Brown - Chelsea Justice|V. Sackville West
Did it mean that, after all, he had been playing at cat-and-mouse with her, as she had at first feared?
The White Moll|Frank L. Packard
Evidently, he must play the cat-and-mouse act about the piles of supplies and machinery.
Panther Eye|Roy J. Snell

单词	cat and mouse
释义	cat and mouse noun Also called cat and rat . a children's game in which players in a circle keep a player from moving into or out of the circle and permit a second player to move into or out of the circle to escape the pursuing first player. Western U.S. tick-tack-toe (def. 1). Idioms for cat and mouse play cat and mouse, to engage in a gamelike relationship in which evasion and pursuit are used: They played cat and mouse for a while before she consented to go out with him. play cat and mouse with, to toy or trifle with. to use strategy on one's opponent, especially while waiting to strike: The detective played cat and mouse with the suspect. Origin of cat and mouse First recorded in 1910–15 Words nearby cat and mouse catamnesis, catamount, catamountain, catananche, cat-and-dog, cat and mouse, Catania, Cataño, Catanzaro, cataphasia, cataphasis Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for cat and mouse So Western governments are caught in a cat-and-mouse game and at times it is unclear who is the cat and who the mouse. ISIS Has a Message. Do We?\|Jamie Dettmer\|December 8, 2014\|DAILY BEAST He became suspicious and so began what he refers to as a “cat-and-mouse game” between him and his former agency. How Models Get Robbed on the Runway\|Jennifer Sky\|May 7, 2014\|DAILY BEAST The revelations in October began a game of cat-and-mouse between the Demon Killer and the police. ‘I Will Commit a Massacre’\|Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky\|February 25, 2013\|DAILY BEAST Meanwhile, I don't know what happens to the employees, who are the mouse in this cat-and-mouse game. Counting Full Time Employees\|Megan McArdle\|January 18, 2013\|DAILY BEAST Lipkin-Shahak was no stranger to the cat-and-mouse dynamic that has so often kept the Middle East in a chokehold. Saying Goodbye To Lipkin-Shahak\|Mira Sucharov\|December 19, 2012\|DAILY BEAST It was like playing a game of cat-and-mouse with him, Wilson Lamb, the cat. Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942\|Various The cat-and-mouse game with the other sex is a good game; but I can play your head off at it. Heartbreak House\|George Bernard Shaw It was a sort of defiance that he was throwing at me, an ultimatum that I should either end my cat-and-mouse game, or let him go. The Tale Of Mr. Peter Brown - Chelsea Justice\|V. Sackville West Did it mean that, after all, he had been playing at cat-and-mouse with her, as she had at first feared? The White Moll\|Frank L. Packard Evidently, he must play the cat-and-mouse act about the piles of supplies and machinery. Panther Eye\|Roy J. Snell
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