cat's game
Grid ends full
A cat's game is a tic-tac-toe match that ends in a draw, with all nine squares filled and neither player achieving three in a row.
The term is primarily American and mostly used by children: It's a cat's game—nobody wins.
The origin is obscure, possibly from the idea that the cat (the player going second) couldn't catch the mouse.
- stalemateMutual obstruction preventing progress
- gridFramework of intersecting lines
- square oneInitial position, metaphorically
- dead heatTied competition result
- zero-sumBalanced gains and losses
draw · foxed · strategy · tie · tied up · deadlock · going nowhere · endgame · impasse · tic-tac-toe · no winner · dogfight · circular argument · monkey business · Mexican standoff · back and forth · puzzle · standoff