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
Asked if she'll say Hello when she meets Adele next weekend, Ruti says she is going to play it cool.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2022
How do you play it cool with that?
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2022
“It’s a big deal. I’d sit up here and try to play it cool on that, but it wouldn’t be real,” Harbaugh said.
From Seattle Times • May 25, 2022
I asked her, trying to play it cool.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
