play the market
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Trade in securities in order to make money, as in He is always playing the market with only mixed results. This term uses play in the sense of “gamble,” a usage dating from about 1500.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Words nearby play the market
play the devil with, play the field, play the fool, play the game, play the heavy, play the market, play therapy, plaything, playtime, play to the gallery, play up
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.