A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

play down to someone • play up to someone
play down to someone —deliberately talk to or behave towards
smb. so that the person does not feel inferior: Joe Mystic does
not play down to his audience. He plays to and has fun with
his audience.
play up to someone —
1
. flatter a person (in order to win favor
for oneself ): Are you the employee who plays up to your boss
day after day? 2. act in a helpful or cooperative manner towards
a person: His mother did social small talk without daring to
stop, and Wilkie played up to her. 3. act in a theatrical per-
formance so as to support or assist another actor: Amberg
started with a stock company of very indifferent merit. They
could not play up to the stars whom he occasionally invited.
Note: 
a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with
the phrase play someone up—
1
. make smb. seem to be more
important: The director tried to play up Ann, but she was not
really a star. 2. annoy or irritate a person: They are trying to
play me up. They believe that I will lose control. 3. (of one’s
arm, stomach, etc.) give trouble to a person: His left elbow
started playing him up and he was ordered to rest.
b) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase
make a play for someone
— attempt to attract the romantic or
other interest of a person: You’re making a play for Joe and are
waiting for him to take a personal interest in you.
play games • play the game
play games —act cunningly or dishonestly towards a person:
Don’t play games, Mona. I know about the theft, and I know
that you know about it.
play the game —observe the rules or conventions: You can’t
deny the role that competitiveness plays in raising standards.
So you have to play the game if you want to succeed.