cloak-and-dagger

[ klohk-uh n-dag-er ]

/ ˈkloʊk ənˈdæg ər /

pertaining to, characteristic of, or dealing in espionage or intrigue, especially of a romantic or dramatic kind.

Origin of cloak-and-dagger

First recorded in 1835–45

But there is something to be learned by the cloak-and-dagger world from Yousef and Ben Yitzhak.

When the Son of Hamas Spied for Israel |Nina Strochlic |August 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He went on to say that he was the intended target because of all his cloak-and-dagger work inside Iran.

Georgetown Socialite Viola Drath Killed by Assassin, Husband Claims |Sandra McElwaine |November 19, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
Plame, the cloak-and-dagger CIA veteran, took a slightly different position.

Bush's Biggest Critics Gun for Obama |Lloyd Grove |October 28, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
It has been said of Time, earlier in these pages, the cloak-and-dagger sort he is, that stalks and pounces.

This Freedom |A. S. M. Hutchinson

He climbed out, standing alongside the bed in his shorts, wondering at the Colonel's cloak-and-dagger approach.

First on the Moon |Jeff Sutton
You risked your life on cloak-and-dagger missions; let the shore-bound fancy dans do the drudgery.

The Syndic |C.M. Kornbluth
Joe said politely: “I heard there was cloak-and-dagger stuff going on.”

Space Platform |Murray Leinster

cloak-and-dagger

(modifier) characteristic of or concerned with intrigue and espionage