hare and hounds

See more synonyms for hare and hounds on Thesaurus.com

noun

an outdoor game in which certain players, the hares, start off in advance on a long run, scattering small pieces of paper, called the scent, with the other players, the hounds, following the trail so marked in an effort to catch the hares before they reach a designated point.

Origin of hare and hounds

First recorded in 1835–45

Also called paper chase.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hare and hounds

Historical Examples of hare and hounds

I went out with a party of friends to play at hare-and-hounds.
Story of My Life, volumes 1-3
Augustus J. C. Hare
The only incident worth recording here, however, was his first run at Hare-and-hounds.
Tom Brown's School Days
Thomas Hughes
The only incident worth recording here, however, was his first run at hare-and-hounds.
Tom Brown's Schooldays
Thomas Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for hare and hounds

hare and hounds

noun

(functioning as singular) a game in which certain players (hares) run across country scattering pieces of paper that the other players (hounds) follow in an attempt to catch the hares

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