plays 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. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of play the man and not the ball
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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