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.

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cloak-and-dagger British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of cloak-and-dagger

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

The cloak-and-dagger operation might seem excessive, but there are a few billion reasons for the paranoia.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s a pale substitute for the delicious tension inherent to deadly cloak-and-dagger exploits.

From Salon

Now he put his cloak-and-dagger skills to work at the Three Lions, where a state-of-the-art security system and the hotel’s unique triangular shape allowed him to keep a constant eye on anyone approaching the building.

From Literature

It involved allegations of financial impropriety at the top of the Vatican, cloak-and-dagger activity of the kind that has often characterised the secretive world of the Holy See.

From BBC

Jackson’s love of these soaps runs deeper than the cloak-and-dagger plots and mustache-twirling villains.

From New York Times