What is "cat and mouse"

n. (context idiomatic English) A relationship in which two parties closely monitor and challenge one another in a suspicious or self-protective manner, often because each party is attempting to gain an advantage over the other.

n. a game for children in which the players form a circle and join hands; they raise their hands to let a player inside the circle or lower their hands to bar a second player who is chasing the first [syn: cat and rat]

Cat and Mouse, published in Germany in 1961 as Katz und Maus, is a novella by Günter Grass, the second book of the Danzig Trilogy, and the sequel to The Tin Drum. It is about Joachim Mahlke, an alienated only child without a father. The narrator Pilenz "alone could be termed his friend, if it were possible to be friends with Mahlke" (p. 78); much of Pilenz's narration addresses Mahlke directly by means of second-person narration. The story is set in Danzig (Gdańsk) around the time of the Second World War and Nazi rule.

Cat and mouse is an English idiom meaning a situation where a prey entity continually escapes its predator.

Cat and Mouse may also refer to:

Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom dating back to 1675 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. This behavior is due to an instinctive imperative to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.

In colloquial usage, it has often been generalized to mean the advantage constantly shifts between the contestants, leading to an impasse or de facto stalemate. In classical game theory, cat and mouse classifies as a "copycat" archetype whereby there exists no equilibrium, and most importantly, no endgame, its two protagonists, Dot and Ditto, running amok in their game space to infinity, with no endpoint to their game anywhere in site attributable to a defective reward system; conflicting incentives. Theoretical active reading on "cat and mouse," or "Dot and Ditto" is ominous in its implication multiple protagonists, each armed a passive strategy, can remain theoretically locked in total perpetual war indefinitely, wholly unable to rise to a plateau sufficient to intellectualize their plight.

Cat and Mouse is a 2003 Hong Kong wuxia romantic comedy film directed by Gordon Chan, and starring Andy Lau, Anthony Wong and Cecilia Cheung.

Cat and Mouse is the fourth novel in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. It revolves around Cross dealing with Gary Soneji, the villain of Along Came a Spider, and a serial killer known only as Mr. Smith.

"Cat and Mouse" is the fifty-ninth episode and the twenty-fourth episode of the third season (1988–89) of the television series The Twilight Zone.

Cat and Mouse is a gymnasium or playground game. A circle is formed, and the player selected to be the mouse stands in the circle. Another player, the cat, is outside the circle and must get in.

"Cat and Mouse" is a science fiction novelette by Ralph Williams. Originally published in the June 1959 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, it was nominated for, but did not win, the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Short Fiction.

Cat and Mouse is the sixth studio album by Singaporean duo, By2. The album was released on July 28, 2015 with a total of 9 tracks and 5 singles. The album achieved immediate success shortly after its release.

"Cat and Mouse" is the 18th episode of the supernatural drama television series Grimm of season 1, which premiered on April 20, 2012, on NBC. The episode was written by Jose Molina, and was directed by Felix Alcala.