play up phrasal verb ( see also ↑ play )
1 . play something ↔ up to emphasize something, sometimes making it seem more important than it really is:
Play up your strongest arguments in the opening paragraph.
2 . play (somebody) up British English informal if children play up, they behave badly:
Jordan’s been playing up in school.
I hope the kids don’t play you up.
3 . play (somebody) up British English informal to hurt you or cause problems for you:
My knee’s been playing me up this week.
The car’s playing up again.