play up to

Idioms  

1. Curry favor with, flatter, as in There's no use playing up to the boss; it doesn't influence him. This expression originated about 1800 in the theater, where it meant “to support or assist another actor.” Within a couple of decades it was being used in other venues.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

play up to

“You don’t play up to a good team and down to a team that is not as good. You stay consistently great,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Teams can play up to six preseason games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Leading Premier League clubs also compete for as many as four different trophies every season, meaning the best players are asked to play up to 60 games in a single campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Inspired by notorious occultist Aleister Crowley, this track from 1980's Blizzard of Ozz allowed Osbourne to play up to his mock-satanic image.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025

Even the doctors and nurses play up to this: a donor on a fourth will go in for a check and be greeted by whitecoats smiling and shaking their hand.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• appeal to
• attract
• captivate
• charm
• dare
• fascinate
• induce
• intrigue
• invite
• motivate
• persuade
• seduce
• stimulate
• tantalize
• woo