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cloak-and-dagger
cloak-and-dag·ger (klōk′ən-dăg′ər)adj. Marked by melodramatic intrigue and often by espionage.cloak-and-dagger n (modifier) characteristic of or concerned with intrigue and espionage cloak′-and-dag′ger
adj. pertaining to, characteristic of, or dealing in espionage or intrigue, esp. of a romantic or dramatic kind. [1835] Thesaurus| Adj. | 1. |  cloak-and-dagger - conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance"clandestine, hush-hush, undercover, underground, secret, surreptitious, hole-and-corner, hugger-muggercovert - secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; "covert actions by the CIA"; "covert funding for the rebels" |
cloak-and-daggeradjectiveExisting or operating in a way so as to ensure complete concealment and confidentiality:clandestine, covert, huggermugger, secret, sub rosa, undercover.Informal: hush-hush.Idiom: under wraps.Translationscloak-and-dagger
cloak-and-daggerUsing or involving secrecy, deception, or espionage, especially the kind portrayed in dramatic depictions of spying. During the Cold War, there were always rumors of the latest cloak-and-dagger tactics being used by spies. I know I said I wanted to meet you in private, but you didn't have to be so cloak-and-dagger about it. A parking garage isn't what I had in mind.cloak-and-daggerinvolving secrecy and plotting. A great deal of cloak-and-dagger stuff goes on in political circles. A lot of cloak-and-dagger activity was involved in the appointment of the director.cloak-and-dagger COMMON You use cloak-and-dagger to describe activities, especially dangerous ones, which are done in secret. Now that the Berlin Wall has come down, the cloak-and-dagger world of East-West espionage might appear to be outdated. They met in classic cloak-and-dagger style beside the lake in St James's Park. Note: You can refer to such activities as cloaks and daggers. Working in police intelligence has very little to do with cloaks and daggers — it's mostly about boring reports and endless statistics. Note: You sometimes use this expression to suggest that people are treating these activities in an unnecessarily dramatic way. Note: This expression is taken from the name of a type of 17th century Spanish drama, in which characters typically wore cloaks and fought with daggers or swords. cloak-and-daggerDescribing a secret or undercover operation. The term dates from seventeenth-century Spain, and the popular swashbuckling plays of Lope de Vega and Pedro Calderón de la Barca, filled with duels, intrigue, and betrayal. They were referred to as comedias de capa y espada, which was variously translated as “cloak-and-sword” or “cloak-and-dagger plays.” Somewhat later, in the nineteenth century, the term began to be applied to various kinds of romantic intrigue, and still later, to espionage. The idea of concealment was, of course, much older, and indeed, Chaucer wrote of “The smyler with the knyf under the cloke” (The Knight’s Tale).cloak-and-dagger
Synonyms for cloak-and-daggeradj existing or operating in a way so as to ensure complete concealment and confidentialitySynonyms- clandestine
- covert
- huggermugger
- secret
- sub rosa
- undercover
- hush-hush
Synonyms for cloak-and-daggeradj conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methodsSynonyms- clandestine
- hush-hush
- undercover
- underground
- secret
- surreptitious
- hole-and-corner
- hugger-mugger
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