Meaning & use
cat and mouse game
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A situation in which one person repeatedly teases or delays another, keeping them uncertain about what will happen.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a cat and mouse game or the cat and mouse game.
Patterns
- a cat and mouse game with someone
- play a cat and mouse game
- the cat and mouse game between A and B
The police played a cat and mouse game with the suspect for weeks before making an arrest.
Their relationship was a cat and mouse game of texts and silence.
Negotiators described the talks as a cat and mouse game, with each side waiting for the other to move first.
nouncountable
A situation in which one side hunts or pursues the other in a prolonged, uncertain way.
Grammar: Often used with the verb play: play a cat and mouse game with someone.
Patterns
- play a cat and mouse game with someone
- a cat and mouse game of pursuit
The spy thriller turns into a cat and mouse game across three cities.
The predator and its prey are locked in a cat and mouse game that can last for hours.
Word forms
| plural | cat and mouse games |
|---|
Common combinations
- play a cat and mouse game
- The manager played a cat and mouse game with the applicants, never giving a clear answer.
- a cat and mouse game with someone
- She grew tired of the cat and mouse game with her ex.
- the cat and mouse game between
- The cat and mouse game between the two companies lasted for months.
- a game of cat and mouse
- The chase became a game of cat and mouse through the narrow streets.
Synonyms and how they differ
- game of cat and mouse
- This is a variant phrase with the same meaning; it often sounds slightly more playful or literary.
- hide-and-seek
- This refers to a literal children's game or a situation of avoiding capture, not the teasing uncertainty of a cat and mouse game.
Word family
- cat-and-mouse adjective
- Used before a noun to describe this kind of game: a cat-and-mouse chase.
Commonly confused: cat and mouse game or cat and dog?
cat and mouse game vs cat and dog
This phrase describes people who fight or argue constantly, like cats and dogs. It does not mean a teasing pursuit.
Practice
The police played a cat and mouse game ___ the suspect for three days.
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition is with: you play a cat and mouse game with someone. To is used for games like 'play a game to win', for does not fit here, and against would suggest direct opposition, not the teasing pursuit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cat and mouse game”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.