Play cat and mouse
Meaning
To engage in a back-and-forth pursuit or interaction, typically where one party toys with and manipulates another while the second attempts to evade or escape.
Origin
The phrase draws its vivid imagery directly from the primal, age-old interaction between a feline predator and its tiny, scurrying prey. Observe a cat with a captured mouse, and you'll often see it not immediately kill, but rather release and re-capture the creature, batting it around and prolonging the hunt. This instinctual, teasing behavior, where the powerful toy with the vulnerable, became a universally understood metaphor for any situation involving a cunning pursuit and evasion, where one party holds the clear advantage and uses it to manipulate or prolong the interaction, rather than delivering a swift conclusion.
Examples
- The detective enjoyed playing cat and mouse with the elusive thief, leaving subtle clues to taunt him.
- For months, the two rival companies played cat and mouse, each trying to outmaneuver the other in the market.