Standard Lemma guide

cloak-and-dagger

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: covert, clandestine, undercover, abstruse, behind the scenes, catlike, backroom, stealth, cloak-and-dagger, concealed, confidential, deep-laid, dern, disguised, furtive, huggermugger, hush-hush, inconspicuous, incognito, low profile, lurksome, lurky, mousy, obfuscated, off-the-books, on the down-low, on the sly, secret, secretive, slinky, sly, sneaky, stealthy, sub rosa, surreptitious, under-the-table, under the radar, under wraps, underground, unperceived

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • clandestine intelligence operations
  • cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines
  • hole-and-corner intrigue
  • secret missions
  • a secret agent
  • secret sales of arms
  • surreptitious mobilization of troops
  • an undercover investigation
  • underground resistance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clandestine, hole-and-corner(a), hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, surreptitious, undercover, underground

Antonyms: none provided

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: плащ и кинжал (plašt i kinžal) — marked by menacing furtive secrecy
  • Finnish: salamyhkäinen — marked by menacing furtive secrecy
  • French: de cape et d’épée — marked by menacing furtive secrecy
  • German: Mantel-und-Degen — marked by menacing furtive secrecy
  • Japanese: 外套と短剣 (gaitō to tanken) — marked by menacing furtive secrecy
  • Polish: potajemny — marked by menacing furtive secrecy
  • Spanish: de intriga y misterio — marked by menacing furtive secrecy
  • Spanish: de capa y espada — marked by menacing furtive secrecy