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play it straight

To behave in a manner that is straightforward, honest, or sincere.
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"The position you'd put me in would be this—of playing a game—and a jolly important game at that—in which the loser loses to me on purpose. . . . If we're going to play a game," he continued, addressing Davenant, before the latter had time to speak, "for Heaven's sake let us play it straight—like men. Let the winner win and the loser lose—"

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Submitted on July 10, 2018

Additional definitions for 'play it straight':

play it straightTo perform a role in a manner that is not comedic or exaggerated.
play it straightTo avoid criminal behavior.
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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to play it straight

play offplay hob withplay inplay offplay it by earplay gooseberryplay into someone's handsplay hookeyplay offplay onplay one's cards rightplay it safeplay one against anotherplay hardball

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    "play it straight." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/play-it-straight_26290>.

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