cat and mouse

See also: cat-and-mouse

English

Noun

cat and mouse (uncountable)

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.
- 2007, Marvin J. Levine, Worker Rights and Labor Standards in Asia’s Four New Tigers:
  In practice, however, it is extremely difficult to form a new union and the unions are engaged in a constant game of cat and mouse with the Registrar.
- 2014, Alison Weir, The Marriage Game:
  She loved their daily rides, the easy banter, the flirtatious game of cat and mouse they played.
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.
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.
- 2009, Judith C. Issette, Messenger of Death, page 34:
  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.
- 2009, Jarlon Magee, Travel in Fear:
  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.
- 2014, Mark Derbyshire, New Worlds, page 30:
  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.

Usage notes

Often preceded by the verb play.

Translations

two keeping check on one another

Chinese:
Mandarin: 貓捉老鼠的遊戲／猫捉老鼠的游戏 (māo zhuō lǎoshǔ-de yóuxì)
Czech: na kočku a myš, hra na kočku a na myš, na kočku a na myš, hra na kočku a myš
Dutch: kat-en-muisspel n
Finnish: kissa ja hiiri -leikki
French: jeu du chat et de la souris (fr) m
German: Katz-und-Maus-Spiel (de) n
Hungarian: macska-egér játék
Italian: giocare a gatto e topo
Japanese: いたちごっこ (itachi-gokko)
Javanese: kucing-kucingan
Polish: no equivalent term in Polish, but see bawić się w kotka i myszkę (pl) impf
Portuguese: jogo de gato e rato m
Romanian: jocul de-a șoarecele și pisica
Russian: ко́шки-мы́шки (ru) (kóški-mýški)
Spanish: juego del gato y el ratón
Telugu: పిల్లీ ఎలుకా దొంగాట (pillī elukā doṅgāṭa)

Proper noun

cat and mouse

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.

Verb

cat and mouse (third-person singular simple present cat and mouses, present participle cat and mousing, simple past and past participle cat and moused)

Alternative form of cat-and-mouse
- 1931, John Collis Snaith, Indian Summer, page 39:
  And I've made up my mind not to be cat and moused any more.
- 1965, Anthony Boucher, The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction, page 193:
  She was attractive in her white uniform and Brown had cat and moused her for a long time without real enthusiasm.
- 1967, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means, Legislative History of H.R. 6950: 90th Congress, to Restore the Investment Credit and the Allowance of Accelerated Depreciation in the Case of Certain Real Property.:
  I am tired of being cat and moused, and for that reason I expect to vote against proposals which I am in favor of in principle, until we can have hearings on them, to determine whether they are economically viable and constitutionally sustainable.
- 1971, Chess Life & Review - Volume 26, page 441:
  ...K-Rl 30 N-B6, the game would be over unless we have more cat and mousing by 30 .
- 2011, Max Hobby, Oshgomshee and the Princess Syleen:
  Careful not to draw deep blood, I cat and moused him for another moment or two as the audience stared in awe.