cloak-and-dagger

English

Etymology

Calque of French de cape et d’épée (“of the cloak and the sword”); first attested 1840. The French term referred to a genre of drama in which the main characters wore cloaks and had swords. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used the “cloak and sword” term in 1840, whereas Charles Dickens preferred “cloak and dagger” a year later.

Adjective

cloak-and-dagger

1. Marked by menacing furtive secrecy, often with a melodramatic tint or espionage involved.

   Synonyms: covert, clandestine, undercover; see also Thesaurus:covert

   • 2009 February 18, Philip Sherwell, Dina Kraft, “Israel wages cloak-and-dagger war on Iran”, in The Age‎^[1]:

     Israel wages cloak-and-dagger war on Iran [headline]

Translations

marked by menacing furtive secrecy

• Finnish: salamyhkäinen (fi)
• French: de cape et d’épée (fr)
• German: Mantel-und-Degen
• Japanese: 外套と短剣 (がいとうとたんけん, gaitō to tanken)
• Polish: potajemny (pl)
• Spanish: de intriga y misterio, de capa y espada

See also

• cloak-and-sworder