Play havoc
Also, raise or wreak havoc . Disrupt, damage, or destroy something, as in The wind played havoc with her hair , or The fire alarm raised havoc with the children , or The earthquake wrought havoc in the town . The noun havoc was once used as a command for invaders to begin looting and killing, but by the 1800s the term was being used for somewhat less aggressive activities. For a synonym, see play the devil with
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- Play hide and seek
Evade or seem to evade someone. For example, Bill is hard to pin down—he’s always playing hide and seek. This expression alludes to the children’s game in which one player tries to find others who are hiding. It has been used figuratively since the mid-1600s.
- Play hide the weenie
verb phrase To do the sex act; copulate; screw: So Craig suggested that we play hide the salami (1980s+)
- Play hooky
verb phrase To stay away from work and duty, or esp from school without an excuse; be truant [1848+; probably fr hook it] Be absent from school or some other obligation without permission, as in It was such a beautiful day that Herb played hooky from work. In this term, the noun hooky may have […]
- Playhouse
[pley-hous] /ˈpleɪˌhaʊs/ noun, plural playhouses [pley-hou-ziz] /ˈpleɪˌhaʊ zɪz/ (Show IPA) 1. a theater. 2. a small house for children to play in. 3. a toy house. /ˈpleɪˌhaʊs/ noun 1. a theatre where live dramatic performances are given 2. a toy house, small room, etc, for children to play in n. late Old English pleghus; see […]
- Playing-card
noun 1. one of the conventional set of 52 cards in four suits, as diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs, used in playing various games of chance and skill. 2. one of any set or pack of cards used in playing games. noun 1. one of a pack of 52 rectangular stiff cards, used for playing […]