cat-and-mouse Hear it!

cat-and-mouse Definition

cat-and-mouse (kat′'n mo̵us′)

adjective

Informal of or designating behavior like that of a cat toying with a mouse; specif., of or designating a strategy by which one repeatedly challenges an opponent while waiting to strike

cat-and-mouse Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • play: Inspections worked, he said, even when Saddam got up to his old tricks, playing cat-and-mouse.

Modifies a noun

  • game: As the cat-and-mouse game continues, he is sucked ever deeper into the serial killer's world.
  • chase: He been involved in a cat-and-mouse chase with his former employers ever since he was released from prison in 1997.
  • thriller: Dorfman uses the form of a cat-and-mouse thriller to raise a series of moral questions... .
  • battle: So they stayed put, and a cat-and-mouse battle ensued.

Browse dictionary entries near cat-and-mouse

  1. ‹ Cat 7
  2. ‹ Cat 6
  3. ‹ Cat 5e
  4. ‹ Cat 5
  5. ‹ Cat 4
  6. ‹ Cat 3
  7. ‹ Cat 2
  8. ‹ Cat 1
  9. ‹ cat
  10. ‹ casus omissus
  1. CAT bond ›
  2. cat brier ›
  3. cat burglar ›
  4. cat-o'-mountain ›
  5. cat-o'-nine-tails ›
  6. cat rig ›
  7. cat's-claw ›
  8. cat's cradle ›
  9. cat's-eye ›
  10. cat's-paw ›