CAT AND MOUSE Definition & Meaning

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cat and mouse

[ kat uhn mous ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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 ).

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of cat and mouse¹

First recorded in 1910–15

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Idioms and Phrases

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

So Barkley played a little cat and mouse with him, slowing just a bit before stepping on the gas again and scoring.

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"Goal-kicks have become a game of cat and mouse," added Bardsley.

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Two female Mormon missionaries knock on the door of a man who initially appears friendly but is not what he seems, leading to a deadly game of cat and mouse.

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This was a game of cat and mouse, high risk and high rewards from two managers wedded to their tactical approach.

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The crackdowns mark the latest phase in a long game of cat and mouse between Imran Khan’s PTI and the authorities.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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