cloak-and-dagger

[ klohk-uhn-dag-er ]

/ ˈkloʊk ənˈdæg ər /

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adjective

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

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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