cat's cradle

noun

1

: a game in which a string looped in a pattern like a cradle on the fingers of one person's hands is transferred to the hands of another so as to form a different figure

2

: something that is intricate, complicated, or elaborate

a cat's cradle of red tape

Illustration of cat's cradle

• cat's cradle 1

Examples of cat's cradle in a Sentence

a cat's cradle of government regulations

Recent Examples on the Web

But that string can still be made into something perfect: As Ludwig lovingly points out to his grand-nephews, the knots in the cat's cradle always stay the same distance apart no matter how the configuration is manipulated. —Christian Holub, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1754, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cat's cradle

• ladle
• decadal

Kids Definition

cat's cradle

noun

: a game played with a string looped on the fingers so as to resemble a small cradle