secret squirrel

From Secret Squirrel, a 1960s secret-agent cartoon character parodying James Bond.

secret squirrel (plural secret squirrels)

1. (informal) Someone who is being secretive.
   • 2008, Terence Strong, President Down, Simon & Schuster:

     I said, ‘Well, you can say what you like about Joe, I've never known him to give anything away — even when he should have done because I was working with him! Secret squirrel syndrome we used to call it in the army.’

   • 2010, R. P. Nathan, The Second Best Man, Cassiopeia Publishing, page 46:

     Christian was working on some Secret Squirrel project with Mike, and Wayne had his headphones in and was coding furiously.

   • 2012, David B. Reid, Hypnosis for Behavioral Health: A Guide to Expanding Your Professional Practice, Springer, page 196:

     Hypnosis, contrary to perceptions perpetuated by the media, is not some highly guarded secret-squirrel procedure that loses its efficacy once the "truth" is exposed.

   • 2014, Oliver North, Bob Hamer, chapter 27, in Counterfeit Lies, Simon & Schuster:

     Meetings in the SCIF were usually limited to members of the FBI's “secret squirrel division,” as the agents referred to those who worked counterintelligence matters.

   • 2014, Erik Seedhouse, Tourists in Space: A Practical Guide, 2nd edition, Springer, page 43:

     Also developing its own breed of suborbital vehicle is Blue Origin, which has maintained its secret-squirrel profile since being founded by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos.