| Idiom | Play Cat and Mouse |
|---|---|
| Example | Sherlock Holmes was toying with the suspect, playing cat and mouse with him. |
| Meaning | to fool or tease someone by pretending to let her or him go free and then catching her or him again |
| Origin | Cats are known for teasing mice by pretending to let them go and then grabbing them again. This game of capture and release might be repeated several times. Someone created the phrase "play cat and mouse" to suggest that human beings sometimes do the same thing: fool someone into thinking they're safe, and then pouncing. It also means to tease by keeping someone uninformed. |
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