play ball with someone
play ball with (one)
1. Literally, to play baseball with, or throw a baseball back and forth with, one. Why don't you go out back and play ball with your son for a while? After spending a week in bed with the flu, Tommy was eager to go out and play ball with his friends.
2. To do what one wants or says; to cooperate with one. The prosecution is much more interested in bringing down your boss—if you play ball with them, they said they'll reduce your sentence from 15 years down to three. Just play ball with the kidnappers, and nobody will get hurt!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
play ball (with someone)
tv. to cooperate with someone. Are you going to play ball, or do I have to report you to the boss?
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.