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Glite Dictionary
cat and mouse

cat and mouse

2 5.0
A children's game where players hold hands in a circle and try to catch someone inside
  • noun
  • Baby Talk
translation icon : juego del gato y el ratón
  • During recess, we started a fun game of cat and mouse with our classmates.
  • cat and mouse game

Examples

  • What are you tryin'to do, play cat and mouse with 'em?

    The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

  • Playing that childish game of cat and mouse.

    All About Eve (1950)

  • For a while, they played a game of cat and mouse, but eventually he tired, and she began a final session of ranting, which had the effect of clouding his judgment; such was its intensity.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The children laughed and ran in a circle while playing cat and mouse in the park.

  • They enjoyed playing cat and mouse, trying to avoid getting tagged by the player in the center.

Synonyms

cat and rat
vscat and mouse
  • Baby Talk
8.0

A circle game where players join hands and raise them to let a child pass while another catches them

allows a child to pass through a joined circle while another tries to catch

Surface Forms

cat and mouse singular
cat and mice plural

Morphology

cat + and + mouse

The literal constituents 'cat' and 'mouse' evoke a predator–prey relationship, so a B1 learner who knows the words can reasonably infer this refers to a chasing or pursuit game. However, the detailed rules described (forming a circle, holding hands, who goes inside/outside) are not predictable from the words alone, and the phrase is often used metaphorically for pursuit rather than a specific playground routine.

Etymology

Cat and mouse comes from a children's game where players make a circle and hold hands while one child is the mouse inside and another is the cat trying to get through the hands to 'catch' them. So the picture of a cat chasing a mouse helps you remember the game's meaning.