Cloak-and-dagger

Origin

First attested 1840, from French de cape et d’épée, “the cloak and the sword”, the French term referred to a genre of drama in which the main characters wore cloaks and had swords. used the “cloak and sword” term in 1840, whereas preferred “cloak and dagger” a year later.

Adjective

adjective

1. Marked by menacing furtive secrecy, often with a melodramatic tint or espionage involved.Israel wages cloak-and-dagger war on Iran — headline, The Age, February 18, 2009 by Philip Sherwell and Dina Kraft http://www.theage.com.au/world/israel-wages-cloakanddagger-war-on-iran-20090217-8a7n.html

Synonyms