cloak-and-dagger

Bedeutung (Englisch)

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

Synonyme

hugger-mugger

hole-and-corner

undercover

underground

secret

㊙️

hush-hush

clandestine

surreptitious

mysterious

backstairs

cagy

backstair

secretive

Übersetzungen

secret

㊙️

clandestino

oculto

de cape et d’épée

amagat

clandestin

segreto

㊙️

dissimulado

escondido

sub-reptício

secret

㊙️

secreto

㊙️

clandestí

ocult

encobert

Etymologie (Englisch)

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.