play hooky
To play truant; to avoid (informally: skip) school, work, or other duties (stay away from these without permission nor an excuse); to skive or to bunk off (UK);
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He played hooky from school to watch a movie.”
“You should not play hooky just because you are bored with your chores.”
“They often play hooky to practice their guitar skills at the park.”
“My coworker played hooky last Friday and pretended to be sick, but we saw her at the beach.”
“If the weather stays this beautiful tomorrow, I might play hooky from my morning meetings and spend the whole day hiking in the woods.”
“The entire marketing team decided to play hooky after their big project finished, so they went to a baseball game instead of returning to the office.”
“The rebellious teenager, weary of algebra and essays, played hooky for the third time that month and wandered the empty streets until dusk.”
From *hooky*, likely derived from the Dutch *hoekje*, meaning hide-and-seek, or from the Dutch *hoeckje spelen*. The construction of the phrase follows the same pattern as *play truant*.
- 01
child's play
Something particularly easy or simple.
- 02
go play in the traffic
To go elsewhere and feel free to engage in risky behavior; to get lost.
- 03
grandstand play
A successful play or other manoeuvre during a sporting competition in which one or more players shows off unnecessarily in order to entertain or impress the spectators.
- 04
hold-up play
A play where an attacker retains possession of the ball, while the teammates can move up the field.
- 05
play a part
To be involved in such a way to affect the outcome, to be a contributing factor.
- 06
play a role
To have an effect or influence on a situation or outcome; to contribute to something.
- 07
play all one's cards
To use all one's resources.
- 08
play along
To take part in a charade, deception, or practical joke.
Last updated August 10, 2026