played the man and not the ball

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

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of play the man and not the ball
Cite this entry
APA

played the man and not the ball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/played%20the%20man%20and%20not%20the%20ball

MLA

“played the man and not the ball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/played%20the%20man%20and%20not%20the%20ball. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “played the man and not the ball,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/played%20the%20man%20and%20not%20the%20ball.

Source: played the man and not the ball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.