play it cool
Idioms-
Act cautiously and shrewdly, as in When they asked how much she earned, she played it cool . [ Slang ; 1940s]
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Become or remain calm, as in When they start to tease you, just play it cool . [ Slang ; 1940s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Going into it Taylor and Travis’s, are you mindful of, like, let’s play it cool?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Maybe they’ll play it cool, keeping things close to the vest to try and hold on to a competitive advantage.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
But British officials are keen to play it cool on the EPC, insisting they will walk away if it evolves in an undesirable direction.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2022
How do you play it cool with that?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2022
Matthew pulled at his Mohawk, trying to play it cool, but Emily could tell by her brother’s bouncing knee that this was new and exciting news.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
