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She played her two rivals off against each other and got the job herself.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
ˌplay sb ˈoff against sb — phrasal verb if you play two people off against each other, you try to cause an argument between them in order to get more control in a situation … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
play A off B — ˌplay A ˈoff against B derived (BrE) (NAmE ˈplay A off B) to put two people or groups in competition with each other, especially in order to get an advantage for yourself • She played her two rivals off against each other and got the job herself … Useful english dictionary
play off against — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms play off against : present tense I/you/we/they play off against he/she/it plays off against present participle playing off against past tense played off against past participle played off against play someone… … English dictionary
play off against — PHRASAL VERB If you play people off against each other, you make them compete or argue, so that you gain some advantage. [V n P P n] Gregory would interview them, and would play one off against the other. [Also V P n (not pron) P n] … English dictionary
play off against — ˌplay ˈoff a ˌgainst [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they play off against he/she/it plays off against present participle playing off against … Useful english dictionary
play both ends against the middle — phrasal : to play off opposing interests against each other to one s own ultimate profit * * * play both ends against the middle informal phrase to make two people or groups oppose each other so that you can gain something Thesaurus: to cause… … Useful english dictionary
play someone off — bring people into conflict or competition for one s own advantage China can no longer play one superpower off against the other … Useful english dictionary
To set off against — Set Set (s[e^]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Set}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Setting}.] [OE. setten, AS. setton; akin to OS. settian, OFries. setta, D. zetten, OHG. sezzen, G. setzen, Icel. setja, Sw. s[ a]tta, Dan. s?tte, Goth. satjan; causative from the root… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
play — play1 W1S1 [pleı] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(children)¦ 2¦(sports/games)¦ 3¦(music)¦ 4¦(radio/cd etc)¦ 5¦(theatre/film)¦ 6 play a part/role 7 play ball 8¦(pretend)¦ 9¦(behave)¦ 10 play games … Dictionary of contemporary English
play — play1 [ pleı ] verb *** ▸ 1 take part in sport/game ▸ 2 make music/sound ▸ 3 have part in play, etc. ▸ 4 when children have fun ▸ 5 when light moves ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) intransitive or transitive to take part in a sport or game: The girls are out… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
