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cloak-and-dagger

American  
[klohk-uhn-dag-er] / ˈkloʊk ənˈdæg ər /

adjective

  1. pertaining to, characteristic of, or dealing in espionage or intrigue, especially of a romantic or dramatic kind.

cloak-and-dagger British  

noun

  1. (modifier) characteristic of or concerned with intrigue and espionage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cloak-and-dagger

First recorded in 1835–45

Vocabulary lists containing cloak-and-dagger

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.