play

play ball — To start anything tumultuous.

play booty — To hustle (play deliberately badly at a game or sport in an attempt to encourage players to challenge one).

play both sides against the middle — To manipulate opponents or competitors in a manner which benefits the manipulator.

play by ear — To do by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur, often with risk of negative outcomes; to improvise.

play chicken — As a risky test of courage, to drive two vehicles directly toward one another in order to see which driver will swerve away first.

play Cupid — To act as a matchmaker, trying to coerce or induce two people into a romantic relationship.

play down — To make or attempt to make something seem less important, likely, or obvious.

play dumb — To pretend to be dumb, either:

play fast and loose — To ignore proper behavior or social conventions, especially when it suits one's purpose.

play first fiddle — To play a leading role.

play for love — To play a game of cards without stakes.

play for time — To delay a situation until one is prepared.

play games — To deceive; to lie about one's intentions.

play hard to get — Of a courtship, to be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to compel that person to be more overt in expressing interest.

play hardball — To use every means possible to achieve a goal, especially in disregarding the harm caused.

play hob with — mess with, cause trouble for

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);

play in Peoria — To receive widespread acceptance among members of the general American public.

play it cheap — To be frugal or stingy.

play it cool — to act cool

play it for all it's worth — to take full advantage of

play it straight — To behave in a manner that is straightforward, honest, or sincere.

play merry havoc with — Synonym of play the devil with.

play merry hell with — Synonym of play the devil with.

play Old Gooseberry — To suddenly put a stop to a disturbance by force or threats.

play Old Harry — To play the devil; to make mischief.

play Old Harry with — Synonym of play the devil with.

play on someone's heartstrings — To produce strong emotions of sadness or pity in someone.

play on words — A pun, or similar humorous use of language such as a double entendre.

play one against another — To manipulate two persons into competing against one another in a way that benefits the person carrying out the manipulation.

play one's cards right — To act correctly; to make the right moves.

play one's part — Synonym of play a part.

play politics — to act or say something according to political ambition, self-interest, and gamesmanship instead of moral conviction and altruism; to politick

play possum — To feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lie low.

play second fiddle — To play a subsidiary or subordinate role to someone or something else.

play silly buggers — To act in a stupid or reckless manner.

play someone like a fiddle — To play (manipulate) (a person) skillfully.

play someone like a violin — To control or manipulate someone, especially by playing on their emotions.

play the angles — To seek ways to advance one's self-interest, especially by making choices in a calculating or crafty manner; to scheme.

play the ball and not the man — To object to someone's argument by attacking the argument itself instead of them or a facet of their personality; to avoid or make the opposite of an ad hominem attack. Usually considered a positive action, and an avoidance of a fallacious argumentative technique. Often used in comparison to play the man and not the ball.

play the cat and banjo with — Synonym of play the devil with.

play the deuce with — Synonym of play the devil with.

play the devil with — To cause great trouble or distress to.

play the dickens with — Synonym of play the devil with.

play the field — To have numerous romantic partners, without or before committing exclusively to one.

play the fool — To behave in a foolish or comical manner.

play the gender card — To assert that sexism is involved in a situation, especially in order to exploit sexist or antisexist attitudes.

play the hand one is dealt — To use the resources which one actually has available; to operate realistically, within the limits of one's circumstances.

play the man and not the ball — To object to someone's argument by attacking them or a facet of their personality instead of the argument itself; to make an ad hominem attack.

play the mischief with — Synonym of play the devil with.

play the Nazi card — To invoke the reductio ad Hitlerum argument in a dialogue or debate.

play the ponies — to bet on horse racing.

play the race card — To assert that race or racism is involved in a situation, especially in order to exploit racist or antiracist attitudes.

play the same tape — To repeat exactly what one previously said or did.

play the something card — To mention something to obtain some advantage in conversation.

play the victim card — To portray oneself as an innocent victim instead of taking responsibility.

play the wag — To play truant (be absent from school without permission).

play to the gallery — To appeal to the least sophisticated parts of an audience in order to obtain maximum approval.

play to win — To make a special, determined effort to achieve general success or a particular goal, in life, in one's career, in negotiation, etc.

play up — To misbehave.

play well with others — To habitually demonstrate interpersonal skills by engaging agreeably in social or work activities.

play with a full deck — To behave in a manner suggesting that one is of normal intelligence, alert, and mentally stable.

play with fire — To put oneself in a precarious situation with a high risk of getting harmed, particularly emotionally or financially.

play with house money — To be in a situation where little or no personal risk can be incurred.

rain stopped play — The cessation of an activity or operation due to rain (by analogy with cricket).

run of play — A passage of play; a series of consecutive moments, considered as a whole.