cloak-and-dagger

[ klohk-uhn-dag-er ]

/ ˈkloʊk ənˈdæg ər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for cloak-and-dagger on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of cloak-and-dagger

First recorded in 1835–45

Words nearby cloak-and-dagger

cloaca, cloacal membrane, cloacal plate, cloacitis, cloak, cloak-and-dagger, cloak-and-suiter, cloak-and-sword, cloak fern, cloakroom, cloam

How to use cloak-and-dagger in a sentence

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Later that night, that same black-and-red banner would be seen again—in the column of marchers chanting for dead cops.
The Monsters Who Screamed for Dead Cops|Jacob Siegel|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The kids are out of school, Mom is out of get-up-and-go, Dad is out of work.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She also practises etching, pen-and-ink drawing, as well as crayon and water-color sketching.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
The governor placed a dagger to his breast in order to get him to tell what he knew of his wife.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
No law of that country must exceed in words the number of letters in their alphabet, which consists only in two-and-twenty.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Mr. Spurrell came down to see a horse, and we shall be very glad to have the benefit of his opinion by-and-by.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
They were eaten too quickly, in long gulps of four-and-twenty hours at a time.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for cloak-and-dagger

cloak-and-dagger

noun

(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

cloak-and-dagger

Origin of cloak-and-dagger

Words nearby cloak-and-dagger

Words related to cloak-and-dagger

How to use cloak-and-dagger in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cloak-and-dagger