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no dagger, no messing

English translation: idiom cloak and dagger

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:no cloak, no dagger
Selected answer:idiom cloak and dagger
Entered by: Yvonne Gallagher

12:15 Sep 24, 2021
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Poetry & Literature
English term or phrase: no dagger, no messing
They shoot you. Dead. That’s what they do, the Mafia. No torture, no cloak, no dagger, no messing.

What do you understand by "no dagger, no messing"?

A dagger as a representation of betrayal?

and no messing?

Many thanks in advance.
Lakasa Stnorden
Local time: 18:08
idiom cloak and dagger
Explanation:
they shoot you! Dead!

they don't mess around (first) with cloak and dagger = an idiom maning background intrigue/secret activities

or with torture.

They don't waste time or beat about the bush but just go straight ahead and kill you (by shooting)



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Note added at 17 mins (2021-09-24 12:32:45 GMT)
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https://grammarist.com/idiom/cloak-and-dagger/

Cloak-and-dagger describes an activity or operation that involves espionage, mystery or secrecy. Originally, cloak-and-dagger was a French term, de cape et d’épée, and also a Spanish term, de capa y espada, both of which translate literally as cape and sword. These phrases came from a type of dramatic play that was popular in these countries in the eighteenth century. In these dramas, a character often concealed his identity and his weapon behind a cloak. Note that the term cloak-and-dagger is properly rendered as hyphenated, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, as it is an adjective used before a noun. However, the term is sometimes seen without hyphens, as in cloak and dagger.

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Note added at 22 mins (2021-09-24 12:37:21 GMT)
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and this definition of "dagger" includes this related term among others

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dagger

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Note added at 1 hr (2021-09-24 13:52:54 GMT)
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typo 1st line: (idiom} mEaning...
Selected response from:

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 22:08
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +8idiom cloak and dagger
Yvonne Gallagher


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
idiom cloak and dagger


Explanation:
they shoot you! Dead!

they don't mess around (first) with cloak and dagger = an idiom maning background intrigue/secret activities

or with torture.

They don't waste time or beat about the bush but just go straight ahead and kill you (by shooting)



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 mins (2021-09-24 12:32:45 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

https://grammarist.com/idiom/cloak-and-dagger/

Cloak-and-dagger describes an activity or operation that involves espionage, mystery or secrecy. Originally, cloak-and-dagger was a French term, de cape et d’épée, and also a Spanish term, de capa y espada, both of which translate literally as cape and sword. These phrases came from a type of dramatic play that was popular in these countries in the eighteenth century. In these dramas, a character often concealed his identity and his weapon behind a cloak. Note that the term cloak-and-dagger is properly rendered as hyphenated, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, as it is an adjective used before a noun. However, the term is sometimes seen without hyphens, as in cloak and dagger.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 mins (2021-09-24 12:37:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

and this definition of "dagger" includes this related term among others

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dagger

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2021-09-24 13:52:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

typo 1st line: (idiom} mEaning...

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 22:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 317
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard
31 mins
  -> Many thanks:-)
agree  James A. Walsh
40 mins
  -> Many thanks:-)
agree  Nadja Wieser
1 hr
  -> Thanks:-)
agree  Barbara Carrara: Although I like a messy murder. I am talking fictionally here. But, if I were to commit one...
2 hrs
  -> Thanks! LOL (I personally like the Roald Dahl one with the frozen leg of lamb! But not messy at all and no blood:-)
agree  Yara Samir
8 hrs
  -> Thanks:-)
agree  David Hollywood: spot on
14 hrs
  -> Thanks:-)
agree  Daryo: Exactly! But the question needs to be reformulated first to "no cloak, no dagger", as as it is it's the result of wrong parsing and is basically meaningless.
2 days 10 hrs
  -> Thanks. No cloak, no dagger, (+ no messing accentuates the immediacy of the killing)
agree  Amanda Foy
4 days
  -> Many thanks:-)
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