“Cat and mouse”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

词条

Cat and mouse

释义

See also
References

{{Wiktionary}}{{other uses}}Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom dating to that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes."^[1] The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the "mouse", who despite not being able to defeat the cat, is able to avoid capture. In extreme cases, the idiom may imply that the contest is never-ending. The term is derived from the hunting behavior of domestic cats, which often appear to "play" with prey by releasing it after capture. This behavior may arise from an instinctive imperative to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.^[2]

In colloquial usage, it has often been generalized to mean the advantage constantly shifts between the contestants, leading to an impasse or de facto stalemate.{{Citation needed|date = October 2016}} In classical game theory, cat and mouse classifies as a "copycat" archetype whereby there exists no equilibrium, and most importantly, no endgame, its two protagonists, Dot and Ditto, running amok in their game space to infinity, with no endpoint to their game anywhere in site attributable to a defective reward system; conflicting incentives. Theoretical active reading on "cat and mouse," or "Dot and Ditto" is ominous in its implication; multiple protagonists, each armed a passive strategy, can remain theoretically locked in total perpetual war indefinitely, wholly unable to rise to a plateau sufficient to intellectualize their plight.{{Citation needed|date = October 2016}}

References

1. ^{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cat%20and%20mouse |title=cat and mouse |accessdate=2008-07-23 |work=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-Webster}}
2. ^{{cite web|title=Why do cats play with their food?|url=http://azdailysun.com/lifestyles/pets/article_46a97775-232d-5e56-b0ea-dd1c8782b062.html|publisher=Arizona Daily Sun|accessdate=2011-08-15}}

1 : English-language idioms

随便看

开放百科全书收录14589846条英语、德语、日语等多语种百科知识，基本涵盖了大多数领域的百科知识，是一部内容自由、开放的电子版国际百科全书。

See also

References