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Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language
Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...
that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes." The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the "mouse", who, despite not being able to defeat the cat, is able to avoid capture. In extreme cases, the idiom may imply that the contest is never-ending. The term is derived from the hunting behavior of domestic cats, which often appear to "play" with prey by releasing it after capture.
In colloquial usage, it has often been generalized to mean the advantage constantly shifts between the contestants, leading to an impasse
A bargaining impasse () occurs when the two sides negotiating an agreement are unable to reach an agreement and become deadlocked. An impasse is almost invariably mutually harmful, either as a result of direct action which may be taken such as a ...
or '' de facto'' stalemate. Furthermore, the term has been used to refer to the game hide-and-seek.
See also
*Arms race
An arms race occurs when two or more groups compete in military superiority. It consists of a competition between two or more State (polity), states to have superior armed forces, concerning production of weapons, the growth of a military, and ...
* Belling the Cat
* " Cat and Mouse in Partnership", a Brothers Grimm fairytale
* Cat play and toys
* Red Queen's race
* ''Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...
'' franchise
References
English-language idioms Metaphors referring to cats {{vocab-stub