Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 661 play ball with (someone) - to cooperate with someone, to join in an effort with others "If you play ball with the new manager things should go well for you." play both ends (against the middle/center) - to scheme in a way that pits two sides against each other The man was trying to play both ends against the middle when he tried to negotiate with the two departments in his company. play by ear - to play a musical instrument by remembering the tune and not by reading the music Although the woman can't read music she can play by ear and is a very good musician. a play-by-play description - a description of an event as it is taking place The announcer gave a play-by-play description of the championship game. play cat and mouse with (someone) - to tease or fool someone/something by pretending to let them go free and then catching him/her/it again The boxer was playing cat and mouse with his opponent although he could have won the match easily. play down (someone or something) - to give less emphasis to someone or something, to make someone or something seem less important The politician played down the survey that showed that he was becoming less popular. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 662 play dumb/ignorant - to pretend to be ignorant I played dumb when my boss asked me if I knew about the problems with the telephone. play fair - to do something by the rules The politician was not playing fair during the election campaign. play fast and loose with (someone or something) - to act carelessly/thoughtlessly/irresponsibly The witness began to play fast and loose with the facts of his case and was severely criticized by the judge. play footsie with (someone) - to touch the feet of someone under the table while flirting The couple in the restaurant were playing footsie during their dinner. play footsie with (someone) - to engage in some kind of collaboration in a political situation The opposition party was playing footsie with the government in order to try and influence their policy. play for keeps - to do something that is permanent and a serious move My friend was playing for keeps when he refused to give his boss the information that he had requested. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 663 play hard to get - to be coy and shy The young woman was playing hard to get but actually she wanted to go on a date with the young man. play hooky - to stay away from school or work without permission When he was a student he often played hooky and did not go to school. play innocent - to pretend to be innocent and not concerned about something The little boy played innocent when the teacher asked him about the broken window. play into (someone`s) hands - to do something that gives someone else an advantage If you walk out of the meeting in anger you will only play into the hands of the other side. play it by ear - to decide to do something according to the situation Let`s play it by ear and decide where to eat after we see the movie. play it cool - to act calm and not concerned I tried to play it cool when the policeman stopped me when I was driving my car. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 664 play it safe - to avoid taking a risk The father always plays it safe when he goes swimming with his son. play off - to settle a score between two teams or contestants by playing another game/match Our team had to play off against the other team before we went to the championship. play off (one group against another) - to match opposing persons/forces/interests for one`s own gain Nobody likes the supervisor because he is always trying to play off one group of workers against another. play on/upon (something) - to cause an effect on something, to influence something The company played on the feelings of loneliness of the people to get them to buy more products. a play on words - a humorous use of a word to suggest a different meaning Newspaper headlines often use a play on words to give a different meaning to a sentence. play one's cards close to one's chest - to work or negotiate in a careful and private manner I played my cards close to my chest when I went to the bank to negotiate for a loan. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 665 play one`s cards right - to take advantage of one's opportunities "If you play your cards right you will probably get a promotion soon." play one's trump card - to use one's most powerful or effective strategy or device I played my trump card when I told my boss that I would quit if I did not get an increase in salary. play politics - to negotiate politically, to allow politics to control a situation where principle should prevail The government leaders were playing politics with the issue of changing the tax rate. play possum - to pretend to be inactive/asleep/dead My friend was playing possum and did not respond to the conversation around him. play second fiddle to (someone) - to be second in importance to someone He has been playing second fiddle to his boss for many years and has finally decided to change jobs. play (someone) for (something) - to treat/handle someone as something else He was trying to play me for a fool but I could easily see what he was doing. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 666 play (someone) off against (someone) - to scheme in a manner that pits two of your opponents against each other Our supervisor is always trying to play one group of employees off against another group. play the devil's advocate - to argue against something even if you may agree with it I was playing the devil's advocate when I asked my friend some questions about his plan to change jobs. play the field - to date many different people, to avoid steady dates with the same person After my sister stopped dating her boyfriend she decided to play the field until she met someone new. play the fool - to act like a fool, to act in a silly manner My friend forced me to play the fool when he left me waiting in the supermarket for two hours. play the market - to invest in the stock market My father has been playing the market for many years now. play to the gallery - to perform in a manner that will get the strong approval of the audience The politician always plays to the gallery and tells his supporters what they want to hear. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 667 play tricks on (someone) - to trick or confuse someone The little boy liked to play tricks on his friends. play up (someone or something) - to call attention to someone or something, to emphasize someone or something During the job interview I played up my experience as a computer operator. play up to (someone) - to flatter or please someone to try and gain their favor He is always playing up to his boss so he can get more free time. play with fire - to invite danger or trouble "You are playing with fire if you get involved with that new project. You may lose much money." . to be played out - to be tired/worn out, to be exhausted I was played out last night so I went to bed early. pleased as punch - to be very pleased with oneself I was pleased as punch when I learned about the money that I had won. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 668 plenty of something - lots of something There was plenty of food to eat at the party. the plot thickens - things are becoming more complicated or interesting "The plot thickens," I thought as the situation at my company became more and more complicated. plow into (someone or something) - to crash into someone or something with force The truck plowed into the group of people waiting for the bus. plow into (something) - to attack/eat/do something vigorously We plowed into the food as soon as the waiter brought it to our table. plow through (something) - to work through something with determination I had much homework to do but I was able to plow through most of it by early evening. pluck up one's courage - to make oneself have courage He plucked up his courage and went over to ask the woman for a date. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 669 plug away at (something) - to keep working at something My friend has been plugging away at his job for several years now. plug in (something) - to place a plug into a receptacle We plugged in the coffee pot before the meeting began. plug up (something) - to stop or fill up a hole/crack/gap We used some special cement to plug up the leak in the bathtub. plumb loco - to be completely crazy The man is plumb loco and everyone tries to stay away from him. poetic justice - the chance but appropriate receiving of rewards/punishments by those who deserve them It was poetic justice when the man lost most of the money that he had got illegally. point of no return - the halfway point, the point where it is too late to turn back We reached the point of no return on our journey and decided that it would be impossible to turn back. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 670 point of view - one's way of thinking about something I find it difficult to understand my friend's point of view on many issues. point out (someone or something) - to explain or call attention to someone or something My teacher was very kind when she pointed out the mistakes that I had made. point the finger at (someone) - to blame someone, to identify someone as the guilty person I tried not to point the finger at anyone but I still wanted to discover who broke the computer. a pointed remark - a remark clearly aimed at a particular person or thing He made a pointed remark during the meeting that was designed to get my attention. poised for (something) - to be ready and waiting for something The army was poised for an attack early in the morning. poised to do (something) - to be ready to do something Our basketball team is poised to win its third championship this evening. poke about/around - to look or search for something or just look at things I was poking about in several antique stores last weekend. . plug into a receptacle We plugged in the coffee pot before the meeting began. plug up (something) - to stop or fill up a hole/crack/gap We used some special cement to plug up the leak in. (someone) - to engage in some kind of collaboration in a political situation The opposition party was playing footsie with the government in order to try and influence their policy. play. to do something that is permanent and a serious move My friend was playing for keeps when he refused to give his boss the information that he had requested. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com