play hide and seek

play hide-and-seek

1. Literally, to play a children's game in which one or more players hide while another player tried to find them. A: "Hey Jimmy, wanna play hide-and-seek?" B: "Sure, I'll hide first!" My daughter's elbow was peeking out from behind the curtains while we were playing hide-and-seek, but I pretended that I couldn't see her.

2. By extension, to be involved in a situation in which one party is constantly evading or avoiding another. The police have been playing hide-and-seek with the suspect all night long. It's been like a game of hide-and-seek trying to get a definitive answer about this issue from the governor.

See also: play

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

play hide and seek

Evade or seem to evade someone. For example, Bill is hard to pin down-he's always playing hide and seek. This expression alludes to the children's game in which one player tries to find others who are hiding. It has been used figuratively since the mid-1600s.

See also: and, hide, play, seek

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.