underhanded scheme; shady deal; hidden trick
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
underhanded deal; shady business; hidden trick
informalUsed in informal contexts to describe a secret, dishonest, or dubious arrangement, often implying collusion or a trick that others aren't aware of. Commonly shortened to just '猫腻'.
Tā他
men们
zhī之
jiān间
de的
māo猫
r儿
nì腻
，
wǒ我
zǎo早
jiù就
kàn看
chū出
lái来
le了
。
I spotted the shady dealings between them long ago.
Zhè这
bǐ笔
jiāo交
yì易
lǐ里
kěn肯
dìng定
yǒu有
māo猫
r儿
nì腻
。
There must be something fishy in this deal.
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Bié别
gēn跟
wǒ我
wán玩
māo猫
r儿
nì腻
，
shuō说
shí实
huà话
ba吧
。
Don't play any tricks on me, tell the truth.
Zhè这
ge个
xiàng项
mù目
zhāo招
biāo标
guò过
chéng程
bèi被
huái怀
yí疑
yǒu有
māo猫
r儿
nì腻
。
The bidding process for this project is suspected of having something underhanded.