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general::
Phrase(s): play someone off against someone else
to scheme in a manner that pits two of your adversaries against one another. • Bill wanted to beat me up and so did Bob. I did some fast talking, and they ended up fighting with each other. I really played Bill off against Bob. • The president played the House off against the Senate and ended up getting his own way.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs