Play for
1.
Take part for a particular reason, as in We’re not playing for money, just for fun. A special usage of this idiom is play for laughs, that is, with the aim of arousing laughter.
2.
play someone for. Manage someone for one’s own ends, make a fool of, dupe or cheat. For example, I resent your playing me for a fool, or He suddenly found out she’d been playing him for a sucker. This usage employs play in the sense of “exhaust a hooked fish,” that is, manage it on the line so that it exhausts itself. [ Mid-1600s ]
Read Also:
- Play for keeps
verb phrase To be intent and serious to the point of callousness; play hardball: We’re out here man for man and playin’ for keeps [1861+; fr the game of marbles and other children’s games where the tokens may be either returned or kept by the winner] see: for keeps
- Play for laughs
see: play for , def. 1.
- Playful
[pley-fuh l] /ˈpleɪ fəl/ adjective 1. full of play or fun; sportive; frolicsome. 2. pleasantly humorous or jesting: a playful remark. /ˈpleɪfʊl/ adjective 1. full of high spirits and fun: a playful kitten 2. good-natured and humorous: a playful remark adj. mid-13c., from play (v.) + -ful. Related: Playfully; playfulness.
- Playfully
[pley-fuh l] /ˈpleɪ fəl/ adjective 1. full of play or fun; sportive; frolicsome. 2. pleasantly humorous or jesting: a playful remark. /ˈpleɪfʊl/ adjective 1. full of high spirits and fun: a playful kitten 2. good-natured and humorous: a playful remark adj. mid-13c., from play (v.) + -ful. Related: Playfully; playfulness.
- Playgirl
[pley-gurl] /ˈpleɪˌgɜrl/ noun 1. a woman who pursues a life of pleasure without responsibility or attachments, especially one who is of comfortable means. noun A woman devoted to amusement (1934+)