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3. play into the hands of

play into the hands of

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play into the hands of somebody

also play into somebody's hands

to give someone an advantage If this information is made public, it will play into the hands of people who are demanding an investigation of the police.

Usage notes: usually an advantage one person believes another should not have

See also: hand, of, play

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]

See also: hand, of, play