This week's theme
Terms with apostrophes

This week's words
dog's chance
gentleman's agreement
cat's cradle
who's who
lion's share

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(kats kraydl)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A children's game in which a string is wrapped around one player's hands in complex symmetrical patterns and transferred to another player's hands to form a different pattern. (video)
2. Something elaborate or intricate, especially when without an apparent purpose.

ETYMOLOGY:

Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1768.

USAGE:

"But policymakers seem trapped in a cat's cradle of economic, political, and legal constraints that is preventing effective action."
Guntram B. Wolff; Europe's Fiscal Wormhole; The Business Times (Singapore); Oct 31, 2014.

See more usage examples of cat's cradle in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: