Idiom
play both sides against the middle
Meaning
To manipulate opponents or competitors in a manner which benefits the manipulator.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He plays both sides against the middle to win the argument.”
“The manager plays both sides against the middle to keep his employees competing for his favor.”
“By subtly encouraging the rival factions to distrust one another, the politician played both sides against the middle to secure his own position of power.”
Examples
simple
“He plays both sides against the middle to win the argument.”
contextual
“The manager plays both sides against the middle to keep his employees competing for his favor.”
complex
“By subtly encouraging the rival factions to distrust one another, the politician played both sides against the middle to secure his own position of power.”
Key words
Related idioms
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