cat and mouse

Definitions

1. 1

   A relationship in which two parties closely monitor and challenge one another in a…

   A relationship in which two parties closely monitor and challenge one another in a suspicious or self-protective manner, often because each party is attempting to gain an advantage over the other.

   • The Allied and the enemy submarine played a game of cat and mouse, checking up on each other's whereabouts and strategies.
   • The hackers played a cat and mouse game with the system administrators: the hackers kept trying new tricks, and the system administrators kept mounting electronic defenses.
2. 2

   A form of attack in which the attacker toys with the victim by inflicting minor damage or…

   A form of attack in which the attacker toys with the victim by inflicting minor damage or letting the victim have futile hopes of escape before finally finishing the victim off.

   • He was thinking how wonderful this game of cat and mouse was. He loved the game and the feeling of control he had over this poor innocent girl.
   • The payback for that would come in the form of a prolonged game of cat and mouse, finally culminating in a deadly game that he had perfected years earlier.
   • She told of narrow escapes and a harried game of cat and mouse, until eventually she'd reached the darkened jungle in which Torys had found her.
3. 3

   A children's game in which one player (the "cat") attempts to break through a ring of…

   A children's game in which one player (the "cat") attempts to break through a ring of players to catch another player (the "mouse") in the centre.

4. ›+ 1 more definitionshow fewer

   1. 4

      Alternative form of cat-and-mouse.

      • And I've made up my mind not to be cat and moused any more.
      • She was attractive in her white uniform and Brown had cat and moused her for a long time without real enthusiasm.

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