Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: play the man and not the ball

Yee yee! We've found 5,495 phrases and idioms matching play the man and not the ball.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
play the man and not the ballTo attack an opponent instead of attacking the ball, which is usually being controlled by the attacked player at the time.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play the man and not the ballTo object to someone's argument by attacking them or a facet of their personality instead of the argument itself; to make an ad hominem attack.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play the ball and not the manTo attack the ball instead of an opponent who is usually controlling the ball. Often considered a positive action, and sometimes a requirement not to concede a penalty.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play the ball and not the manTo object to someone's argument by attacking the argument itself instead of them or a facet of their personality; to avoid or make the opposite of an ad hominem attack. Usually considered a positive action, and an avoidance of a fallacious argumentative technique. Often used in comparison to play the man and not the ball.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
man is man to manThe human is a human for itselfRate it:

(1.00 / 3 votes)
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetimeIt is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something than to do it for them.Rate it:

(4.00 / 9 votes)
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetimeIt is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something, than to do something for them.Rate it:

(3.00 / 5 votes)
if there's grass on the pitch, play ballOnce someone has grown pubic hair or started puberty, they are sexually accessible.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play ballAn expression used at the beginning of a game of baseball.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play ballTo start anything tumultuous.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play ballTo work together; to cooperate.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
"i'm not going left, i'm not going to the right, i'm not going forward or backward, i'm going to godGodRate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasureWhat is worth nothing to one person may be exactly what another wantsRate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
man is a wolf to manHumans prey upon one another.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
one man's meat is another man's poisonPeople have differing tastes; what pleases one person may displease another.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
one man's gain is another man's loss.Often a benefit to one person comes at a cost to another.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
to know and not to do is not to knowWhen you say you know something yet you fail to act as if that knowledge were true, it shows you don't really know that something to be true; it essentially calls the person a hypocrite since they say one thing and do another; same as the phrase "Your actions speak so loudly that your words I cannot hear"Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
take one's ball and go homeTo cease participating in an activity that has turned to one's disadvantage, especially out of spite, or in a way that prevents others from participating as well.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
God does not play dice with the universeThe course of all events is predetermined.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Adam and Eve not Adam and SteveImplying that only heterosexual relations are normal.Rate it:

(2.25 / 4 votes)
all work and no play makes jack a dull boyToo much focus on one's career is often viewed unfavorably.Too much hard work and not enough leisure time can be unhealthy.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
bygones be bygones, and fair play for time to comeLet all past wrongs be forgotten, with a resumption of cordial relations.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
Play Cat and MouseTo make someone fool by playing tricks, to annoy or tease someoneRate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
and don't play one on TVA term often used after a person claims to have no expertise in a topic of discussion, but still wants to contribute a comment.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
party and playMarked by the use of drugs and the absence of sexual inhibitions.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
party and playUsed other than as an idiom: see party, play.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play fast and looseTo ignore proper behavior or social conventions, especially when it suits ones purpose.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Play Fast and LooseTo be capricious and irresponsible, to do all that pleases one without caring to have offended othersRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
play fast and looseTo be recklessly inaccurate, inappropriate, or otherwise ignoring guidelines and conventions.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
do not pass go, do not collect £200A phrase telling someone to pursue a path directly without deviations.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
waste not, want notIf one is not wasteful then one will not be needy.Rate it:

(5.00 / 2 votes)
do not pass go, do not collect $200A phrase telling someone to pursue a path directly without deviations.Rate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
if you're not Dutch, you're not muchThe Dutch culture is vastly superior to all other cultures in existence.Rate it:

(1.50 / 2 votes)
not your circus, not your monkeysIt's none of your business; an exhortation to stay out of a volatile or delicate situation.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred dollarsAlternative spelling of do not pass go, do not collect $200Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
not my circus, not my monkeysIt's none of my business; indicates that one is not responsible for controlling or changing a volatile or delicate situation.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wiseplatitude from Benjamin Franklin under the pseudonym Poor Richard.Rate it:

(4.50 / 4 votes)
time and tide wait for no manpeople cannot stop the passing of time, and therefore we should not delay doing thingsRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
man and boyDuring one's manhood and during one's boyhoodRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
man and wifeA newly married coupleRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
time and tide tarry for no manAlternative form of time and tide wait for no man.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
ground ball with eyesA weakly hit ground ball that barely evades the infielders.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
keep one's eye on the ballTo maintain one's concentration fixed on one important theme.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
the ball is in your courtIt is your turn to do something; often making a decision.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
whole 'nother ball of waxAn entirely different matter altogether; a separate issue or sub-issue from the topic being discussed, usu. one that would take too long to explain properly; a matter to be dealt with at a later time.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
whole ball of waxThe entire or overall plan, concept or action.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
wait for the ball to dropTo wait in expectation of an occurrence.Rate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
ball upTo hunch over and pull in one's arms and legs.Rate it:

(4.33 / 3 votes)
get the ball rollingTo begin; to start some action; to set in motion.Rate it:

(4.33 / 3 votes)
ball upTo crush into a ball shape.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for play the man and not the ball:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Knock your _______ off.
A sweater
B socks
C blazer
D shorts

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ