english
1
general::
Phrase(s): play for time Fig. to stall; to act in such a way as to gain time. • I’ll play for time while you sneak out the window. • The lawyers for the defense were playing for time while they looked for a witness.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Use delaying tactics, temporize, as in The defense attorney decided to play for time while they searched for an eyewitness. [c. 1940]
American Heritage Idioms