play hide and seek

hide and seek

A situation in which one party is constantly evading or avoiding another. (A reference to the children's game "hide and go seek.") Often used with the verb "play." The police have been playing hide and seek with the suspect all night long. It's been a game of hide and seek trying to get definitive answers out of the governor.
See also: and, hide, seek
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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.
See also:
  • cross over
  • face off
  • face-off
  • boogie
  • boogies
  • booging
  • check out
  • check out, to
  • check something out
  • checkout
References in periodicals archive
These three like to play hide and seek under the decking in my back garden and they all sleep together at night under the stairsName: Peter.
Name: Poporn. Age: One. Owner [...]; Enjoy more daft and cute pet pictures in our gallery at chroniclelive.co.uk/pets and in the paper on Thursdays
When your cat is willing to engage in "find me" even as you step into the hallway, or turn the corner, then you are ready to begin to play Hide and Seek.
Cats and kids: a recipe for success: learn some games that will be fun (and safe) for both the children and the pets in your life
"One night he was like, 'Come back and play hide and seek in the palace.
Jade's big table break
To set the record, at least ten groups with a minimum of 25 participants must play hide and seek at the same time across the country.
Seeking a new record