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

play games with someone • play with someone
play games with someone —act cunningly or dishonestly
towards a person: Don’t try to play games with me. You’re not
nearly as clever as you think you are.
play with someone —treat smb.’s feelings or affections in a
casual and irresponsible way: I feel a pang of remorse because
she may love me seriously, although I am only playing with
her.
See also: play someone at his own game / play someone’s game.
play gooseberry • play old gooseberry
play gooseberry —be the third person present with two lovers;
act as an escort: Let the old woman choose between playing
gooseberry or loitering behind alone.
play old gooseberry —(UK dated) cause damage or devastation
to smth.: She would play old gooseberry with the property if
we hadn’t someone to look after it.
play hard to get • play hardball
play hard to get—pretend to be unapproachable or uninter-
ested, with a view to strengthening one’s position: To be blunt,
you sort of strike me as playing hard to get.
play hardball —use uncompromising tactics: The insurance
company played hardball with desperate homeowners, relying
on questionable experts, and falsified reports.
play it low down • play it low-key
play it low down —behave meanly or unfairly towards a per-
son: If it weren’t playing it low down on the fellows that have
been in it from the start, I’d like to enlist.
Note: 
The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with
the phrase play it low—
1
. (of music) play at a low volume: I am
used to listening to music while exercising. And I play it low
enough so I can hear outside sound…. 2. = play it low down:
But I’m not going to play it low on an old shipmate, and you
shall have a fourth of whatever comes.
play it low-key —(also: keep it on the low down) do smth.
without drawing much attention to it: For a company about
to revolutionize the Internet, they liked to play it low key.