play up

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Definition
  1. Verb (phrasal verb):
    • To ingratiate oneself to someone, often with insincere behavior: To try to gain favor or approval from someone by using flattery or exaggerated attention.
    • To move something into the foreground to make it more visible or prominent: To emphasize, highlight, or draw attention to something.
Usage and Examples

  • Verb (ingratiate):

    • He always plays up to the boss before annual reviews.
    • The student played up to the teacher in hopes of getting a better grade.

  • Verb (emphasize/highlight):

    • The advertisement plays up the car's safety features.
    • In his speech, he played up his experience in the field.
Advanced Usage and Nuances

  • "play up" vs. "play down": "Play up" is the antonym of "play down" (to minimize or make something seem less important).

    • The company played up its successes but played down its financial losses.

  • British Informal Usage (of a machine or part of the body): To cause problems or not work properly. (Note: This is a distinct, common meaning but was not in the provided reference.)

    • My knee has been playing up since I went running.
    • The printer is playing up again; we need to call IT.
Variants and Related Words

  • Play up to (someone): A more specific form of the ingratiating meaning.

    • He's just playing up to the director because he wants the lead role.

  • Play up one's strengths: A common collocation for the "emphasize" meaning.

    • During the interview, remember to play up your strengths.
Synonyms
  • Ingratiate meaning: Flatter, butter up, cozy up to, suck up to (informal).
  • Emphasize meaning: Highlight, stress, underscore, accentuate, foreground.
Related Phrasal Verbs

  • Play down: To make something seem less important or serious.

    • The government tried to play down the scale of the crisis.

  • Play along: To pretend to agree or cooperate.

    • I decided to play along with their silly game.
Idioms and Common Phrases
  • Play up to the gallery: To act in a way intended to win popular approval rather than to be sincere. (Related to the "ingratiate" meaning but with a public audience).
    • Some politicians are accused of playing up to the gallery with simplistic promises.
Verb
  1. ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behavior
    • She is playing up to the chairman
  2. move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
    • The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics

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