cat and mouse

American  

[kat uhn mous] / ˈkæt ən ˈmaʊs /

noun

1. 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.

2. Western U.S. tick-tack-toe.

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idioms

1. 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.

2. 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.

Etymology

Origin of cat and mouse

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

They are starring alongside each other in Crime 101, a tense thriller that swaps superhero spectacle for a game of psychological cat and mouse.

From BBC

A core of Minneapolis activists is playing a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the federal agents deployed in force to the midwestern city to round up undocumented immigrants.

From Barron's

"Its almost inevitable that internet access will be truly universal eventually but it'll always be cat and mouse for repressive regimes", Woodward says.

From BBC

Mikel Arteta's Gunners have struck the latest blow in this cat and mouse chase, four points clear at the summit following City's frustrating goalless draw at Sunderland on Thursday night.

From BBC

When Neves Valente left the bathroom, John got suspicious and followed him, and the pair played “a game of cat and mouse” on foot through the neighborhood.

From The Wall Street Journal