play hard to get

Idioms  

1. Pretend to be inaccessible or uninterested; act coy, especially with the opposite sex. For example, I know he has no appointments tomorrow; he's just playing hard to get, or Nicole is very popular, perhaps because she plays hard to get. [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

Maybe you can coax better behavior from hostile governments if you play hard to get.

From Slate • Feb. 12, 2016

As N.B.A. owners go, Mikhail Prokhorov doesn’t exactly play hard to get, at least not when he is in America.

From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2011

But EMI's board decided to play hard to get and knocked back the offer.

From Reuters • Jun. 11, 2010

Madoff's greatest talent, the witness indicated, was his use of a "hook" or lure to play "hard to get" and the false security of exclusivity, a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.

From Time Magazine Archive

It seemed as though I should play hard to get, but after a moment or two of awkward silence, I agreed to do it for what I called "political reasons."

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris