play the man

A form of play the man and not the ball — To attack an opponent instead of attacking the ball, which is usually being controlled by the attacked player at the time.

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Meanings

verbplay the man (third-person singular simple present plays the man, present participle playing the man, simple past and past participle played the man)

present singular third person plays the man · participle present playing the man · participle past played the man · past played the man

  1. alternativeAlternative form of play the man and not the ball.
Cite this entry
APA

play the man. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20the%20man

MLA

“play the man.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20the%20man. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “play the man,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20the%20man.

Source: play the man on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.