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hole-and-corner

[ hohl-uh n-kawr-ner ]

/ ˈhoʊl ənˈkɔr nər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hole-and-corner ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

secretive; clandestine; furtive: The political situation was full of hole-and-corner intrigue.

trivial and colorless: She was living a hole-and-corner existence of daily drudgery.

Also hole-in-cor·ner

[hohl-in-kawr-ner] /ˈhoʊl ɪnˈkɔr nər/.

Origin of hole-and-corner

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby hole-and-corner

hole in the heart, hole in the wall, hole of retina, hole saw, hole up, hole-and-corner, hole-high, holeproof, holey, holguín, holi

Example sentences from the Web for hole-and-corner

Deny him any playground but a hole-and-corner court, and you'll find that he'll betake himself to hole-and-corner games in it.

Mr. Punch's History of Modern England Vol. II (of IV),--1857-1874 |Charles L. Graves
She knows the Neapolitans, and does not value them but for hole-and-corner defence.

The Admiral |Douglas Sladen
These things are talked of, hole-and-corner fashion, a long time before they reach the ears of the person chiefly concerned.

The Paradise Mystery |J. S. Fletcher
The Swiss had had enough of electioneering tricks, hole-and-corner revolutions, and paper compacts.

The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2) |John Holland Rose

No one could say that it was a hole-and-corner business, far less that the assembly was packed.

The Talk of the Town, Volume 2 (of 2) |James Payn

British Dictionary definitions for hole-and-corner

hole-and-corner

adjective

(usually prenominal) informal furtive or secretive