- play upon
- (smth) - cause an effect on, influence
They played on his feelings of loneliness to get him to come and buy them dinner every night.
Idioms and examples. 2014.
play upon
Look at other dictionaries:
play\ upon — • play (up)on v 1. To cause an effect on; influence. A heavy diet of television drama played on his feelings. 2. To work upon for a planned effect; excite to a desired action by cunning plans; manage. The makeup salesman played on the woman s… … Словарь американских идиом
play upon — see ↑play on above. • • • Main Entry: ↑play … Useful english dictionary
play upon — index dupe Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
play upon — PHRASAL VERB To play upon something means the same as to play on it. [FORMAL] … English dictionary
play upon words — play on words or play upon words noun A pun or other manipulation of words depending on their sound • • • Main Entry: ↑play * * * play on words or play upon words, = pun. (Cf. ↑pun) … Useful english dictionary
play upon words — index distort Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
play upon — See: PLAY ON … Dictionary of American idioms
play upon — See: PLAY ON … Dictionary of American idioms
play upon — See play on … New dictionary of synonyms
play upon something — ˈplay on/upon sth derived to take advantage of sb s feelings, etc. Syn: ↑exploit • Advertisements often play on people s fears. Main entry: ↑playderived … Useful english dictionary
To play upon — Play Play, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Played}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Playing}.] [OE. pleien, AS. plegian, plegan, to play, akin to plega play, game, quick motion, and probably to OS. plegan to promise, pledge, D. plegen to care for, attend to, be wont, G.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
