Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to act in a given manner, defined by an adj.

1918		C.J. Dennis ‘Before the War’ in Digger Smith 15: First off, young Jim, ’oo plays it ’igh a bit, / Narks the ole man.
1920		A. Christie Mysterious Affair at Styles (1954) 151: I say, that’s playing it a bit low down.
1925		Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves 38: It struck me that it was playing it a bit low-down on the poor chap.
1937		P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 60: Swell, Langdon. Okie-doke. An’ I play it the way we said.
1949		R. Chandler Little Sister 182: It will be a week from Tuesday before he decides how to play it.
1950		‘Hal Ellson’ Tomboy (1952) 115: Play it smart. You can always talk your way out of a corner.
1954		Oh Boy! No. 17 10: So you want to play it rough, huh?
1955		E. Hunter Blackboard Jungle 45: Dig this cat. He’s playin’ it hard.
1960		(con. 1940s) D. MacCuish Do Not Go Gentle (1962) 93: Play it loose back in there, Helen!
1961		T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) `137: He knew that I was playing it clever.
1962		R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 47: He plays it very cagey.
1963		J. Rechy City of Night 34: I determined that from now on I would play it dumb.
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 237: There’s still every reason to wait that there was when we decided that’s how we’d play it.
1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 316: If I was gonna cop a plea to God, I couldn’t play it cheap.
1971		B. Moyers Listening to America 238: I’m really playing it straight.
1979		C. Dexter Service of all the Dead (1980) 154: Let’s play it safe, Lewis. We really don’t want any more corpses.
1985		J. Wambaugh Secrets of Harry Bright (1986) 194: Sidney Blackpool looked at Otto who’d been a cop long enough to play it like aces wired.
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 61: The kids from the project glanced at one another, trying to guess how they should play it.
1992		B. Gifford Night People 5: You got to play it that way till you can’t play it no more.
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 59: This was the first and last time I ever play it on the level.
2005		L. Theroux Call of the Weird (2006) 197: He was trying to go straight. ‘I been playing it under the radar,’ he said.
2021		T. Swerdlow Straight Dope [ebook] I’d figure I’d play it loose and cool like we had just talked.