play up
to fail to function properly (machine, process)
TRANSLATION
play up = Ärger machen, verrücktspielen play up = sich schlecht benehmen, sich danebenbenehmen --- GOOGLE INDEX play up: approximately 2,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
iTunes PLAYING UP again
(article headline from an Apple user forum)
---
It was around this time that my right knee started PLAYING UP, causing sufficient soreness to warrant further examination.
(from the autobiography of English cricket player Michael Vaughn)
(article headline from an Apple user forum)
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It was around this time that my right knee started PLAYING UP, causing sufficient soreness to warrant further examination.
(from the autobiography of English cricket player Michael Vaughn)
Did you
know?
play up (chiefly British)
phrasal verb
- fail to function properly (i.e. a machine or process)
- misbehave (child)
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
The word "play" stems from the Old English "plegan, plegian," which referred to moving rapidly, occupying or busying oneself, exercising, frolicking or making sport. How important is the word "play" to the English language? If the number of Google hits is an accurate barometer, at 1.5 billion it "plays" a rather significant role. This is especially true in the wide range of phrasal verbs that it is found in, such as in today's expression "play up."
Apart from the sense of not functioning properly or misbehaving, which are mainly used in British English, play up also means to overemphasize or exaggerate (He played up his experience in the IT industry in his resume) or to flatter someone in order to get them to do something (He likes to play up to the boss).
Other phrasal verbs with the word play include:
- play along = to cooperate or pretend to cooperate (If you want to make him happy, just play along)
- play on = to take advantage of someone or something (The media is playing on the fears of the public)
- play down = to lessen the importance of something (He played down the seriousness of his illness)
- play around = to play or frolic with someone or something (She's busy playing around with the kids at the moment), to have a romantic affair (The rumour is, he's been playing around with one of his female colleagues)
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SYNONYMS
(not functioning properly)
be messed up (My knee is messed up), to stop working, to be out of whack, to be screwed up
(misbehave)
fool around, to be out of line, to make trouble, to be mischievous, to be bad, to act up
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I'm late because my car played up again this morning."
phrasal verb
- fail to function properly (i.e. a machine or process)
- misbehave (child)
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
The word "play" stems from the Old English "plegan, plegian," which referred to moving rapidly, occupying or busying oneself, exercising, frolicking or making sport. How important is the word "play" to the English language? If the number of Google hits is an accurate barometer, at 1.5 billion it "plays" a rather significant role. This is especially true in the wide range of phrasal verbs that it is found in, such as in today's expression "play up."
Apart from the sense of not functioning properly or misbehaving, which are mainly used in British English, play up also means to overemphasize or exaggerate (He played up his experience in the IT industry in his resume) or to flatter someone in order to get them to do something (He likes to play up to the boss).
Other phrasal verbs with the word play include:
- play along = to cooperate or pretend to cooperate (If you want to make him happy, just play along)
- play on = to take advantage of someone or something (The media is playing on the fears of the public)
- play down = to lessen the importance of something (He played down the seriousness of his illness)
- play around = to play or frolic with someone or something (She's busy playing around with the kids at the moment), to have a romantic affair (The rumour is, he's been playing around with one of his female colleagues)
---
SYNONYMS
(not functioning properly)
be messed up (My knee is messed up), to stop working, to be out of whack, to be screwed up
(misbehave)
fool around, to be out of line, to make trouble, to be mischievous, to be bad, to act up
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I'm late because my car played up again this morning."
