IdiomAnimals
English
Englishplay cat and mouse
Meaning: To toy with someone one has power over.
Example: “The lawyers played cat and mouse with the witness for an hour.”
Origin: A cat often releases a caught mouse and pounces again rather than killing it at once. Martin Luther wrote in the 16th century that the cat's play is the mouse's death, and the phrase is common in English from the 17th century.
Equivalents in other languages
German: mit jemandem Katz und Maus spielen Literally: To play cat and mouse with someone
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