play up to
Verb
Meaning
play up to (third-person singular simple present plays up to, present participle playing up to, simple past and past participle played up to)
To try to gain favour with by flattery.
Synonyms
Examples
If we're gonna win, we have to play up to and beyond our potential.
With the crowds on your side, it's easier to play up to your potential.
If the assembled company rags you for a failing, you can usually play up to it for comic effect: it's the failing they don't mention that you have to watch out for.
It is a lot of mind games that take place, the agents do it, the players themselves play up to the game too, but it doesn’t mean that the football club being mentioned wants to buy them.
If they play up to their full potential, Peru could capture the hearts of brand-new fans the world over.
Keen to play up to its image as an innovator, Virgin Atlantic began an iBeacon trial in Heathrow Airport at the beginning of this year.