play cat and mouse
欲擒故纵; (打斗、竞赛中)玩猫戏老鼠，戏弄，捉弄;忽冷忽热
俚语源头：
Play cat and mouse其实源于英国的一个法律。1913年，英国议会为了对付在狱中绝食的女权运动者，通过了一项《病囚暂释法》，绝食的囚犯能够被暂时释放，但是等囚犯恢复健康之后，就会被抓回去继续坐牢。时评认为这是在玩“猫抓老鼠”的把戏，还把《病囚暂释法》戏称为The Cat And Mouse Act，即《猫鼠法》。之后，play cat and mouse就被广泛用来比喻对人欲擒故纵、忽冷忽热，双方处于欲擒故纵的阶段当中，暧昧不清，要断不断，你来追追我，我来追追你。
经典运用：
Zhu Geliang played cat and mouse with Meng Huo in order to conquer him completely.
诸葛亮对孟获欲擒故纵，目的是彻底征服他。
After three hours of playing cat and mouse, they threatened to open fire on our vessel, so we stopped
玩了3个小时的猫捉老鼠后，他们威胁说要向我们的船上开火，所以我们就停了下来。
Tom and Jerry are ready to play cat and mouse once more.
汤姆和杰瑞将再玩一次猫捉老鼠的游戏。
play cat and mouse还指的是你对一个人忽冷忽热的态度，例如：
You'd better not play cat and mouse with her. If you don't like her, just tell her directly.
你最好不要对她忽冷忽热的。如果你不喜欢她，就直接告诉她。
If you keep playing cat and mouse with your boyfriend, he will get another girl.
如果你还对你男朋友忽冷忽热的，他会爱上别的女生的。
He always play cat and mouse with me. I really don't know what to do.
他对我总是忽冷忽热的。我真不知道该怎么办。
Coy girls often like to play cat and mouse with boys.
有些扭捏的女孩子就是喜欢和男生玩欲擒故纵的游戏。
