play into hands
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Encyclopedia.
Related to play into hands: play into someone's hands
play (right) into (one's) hands
To unwittingly do exactly what one wants or needs in order for one's plans or schemes to succeed. Don't waste your time investigating her husband! You're playing into the real killer's hands! These media reports play right into the senator's hands—he just wants something else to distract from the important issues.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
play into someone's hands
Fig. [for a person one is scheming against] to assist one in one's scheming without realizing it. John is doing exactly what I hoped he would. He's playing into my hands. John played into my hands by taking the cash he found in my desk. I caught him and had him arrested.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
play into the hands of
Act so as to give an advantage to an opponent, as in The senator played right into the hands of her opponents when she backed that unpopular amendment to the tax bill . [c. 1700]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
play into (someone's) hands
To act or behave so as to give an advantage to an opponent.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.