cloak-and-dagger

adjective

cloak-and-dag·​ger ˈklōk-ən(d)-ˈda-gər 

: dealing in or suggestive of melodramatic intrigue and action usually involving secret agents and espionage

a cloak-and-dagger novel

cloak-and-dagger noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

But this is not a black-bag operation in a war zone or cloak-and-dagger spy games in Cold War–era East Berlin. —The Editors, National Review, 16 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above