Chapter 1165

To play into a person's hands , to act, or to manage matters, to his advantage or benefit. -- To play off , to affect; to feign; to practice artifice. -- To play upon . (a) To make sport of; to deceive.

Art thou alive? Or is it fantasy that plays upon our eyesight. Shak.

(b) To use in a droll manner; to give a droll expression or application to; as, to play upon words. <-- play around -->

Play <Xpage=1097>

Play , v. t. 1. To put in action or motion; as, to play cannon upon a fortification; to play a trump.

First Peace and Silence all disputes control, Then Order plays the soul. Herbert.

2. To perform music upon; as, to play the flute or the organ .

3. To perform, as a piece of music, on an instrument; as, to play a waltz on the violin .

4. To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute; as, to play tricks .

Nature here Wantoned as in her prime, and played at will Her virgin fancies. Milton.

5. To act or perform (a play); to represent in music action; as, to play a comedy ; also, to act in the character of; to represent by acting; to simulate; to behave like; as, to play King Lear; to play the woman.

Thou canst play the rational if thou wilt. Sir W. Scott.

6. To engage in, or go together with, as a contest for amusement or for a wager or prize; as, to play a game at baseball .

7. To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it.

To play off , to display; to show; to put in exercise; as, to play off tricks. -- To play one's cards , to manage one's means or opportunities; to contrive. -- Played out , tired out; exhausted; at the end of one's resources. [Colloq.]

Play <Xpage=1097>

Play , n. 1. Amusement; sport; frolic; gambols.

2. Any exercise, or series of actions, intended for amusement or diversion; a game.

John naturally loved rough play . Arbuthnot.

3. The act or practice of contending for victory, amusement, or a prize, as at dice, cards, or billiards; gaming; as, to lose a fortune in play .

4. Action; use; employment; exercise; practice; as, fair play ; sword play ; a play of wit. "The next who comes in play ."

Dryden.

5. A dramatic composition; a comedy or tragedy; a composition in which characters are represented by dialogue and action.

A play ought to be a just image of human nature. Dryden.

6. The representation or exhibition of a comedy or tragedy; as, he attends ever play .

7. Performance on an instrument of music.

8. Motion; movement, regular or irregular; as, the play of a wheel or piston ; hence, also, room for motion; free and easy action. "To give them play , front and rear."

Milton.

The joints are let exactly into one another, that they have no play between them. Moxon.

9. Hence, liberty of acting; room for enlargement or display; scope; as, to give full play to mirth .

Play actor , an actor of dramas. Prynne . -- Play debt , a gambling debt. Arbuthnot . -- Play pleasure , idle amusement. [Obs.] Bacon . -- A play upon words , the use of a word in such a way as to be capable of double meaning; punning. -- Play of colors , prismatic variation of colors. -- To bring into play , To come into play , to bring or come into use or exercise. -- To hold in play , to keep occupied or employed. <-- in play. (a) (baseball, football) [of a ball] to still be subject to action so as to affect the game, true as long as the specific play has not been completed. Opposite of out of play, out of bounds. (b) (Corporate Finance) subject to acquisition or merger; said of companies which have been discussed as potential acquisitions by potentially acquiring companies. -->

I, with two more to help me, Will hold the foe in play . Macaulay.

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Playa <Xpage=1098>

Pla"ya (?) , n. [Sp.] A beach; a strand; in the plains and deserts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, a broad, level spot, on which subsequently becomes dry by evaporation.

Bartlett.

Playbill <Xpage=1098>

Play"bill` (?) , n. A printed programme of a play, with the parts assigned to the actors.

Playbook <Xpage=1098>

Play"book` (?) , n. A book of dramatic compositions; a book of the play.

Swift.

Playday <Xpage=1098>

Play"day` (?) , n. A day given to play or diversion; a holiday.

Swift.

Player <Xpage=1098>

Play"er (?) , n. 1. One who plays, or amuses himself; one without serious aims; an idler; a trifler.

Shak.

2. One who plays any game.

3. A dramatic actor.

Shak.

4. One who plays on an instrument of music. "A cunning player on a harp."

1 Sam. xvi. 16.

5. A gamester; a gambler.

Playfellow <Xpage=1098>

Play"fel`low (?) , n. A companion in amusements or sports; a playmate.

Shak.

Playfere <Xpage=1098>

Play"fere` (?) , n. [ Play + 1st fere .] A playfellow. [Obs.] [Also, playfeer , playphere .]

Holinsheld.

Playful <Xpage=1098>

Play"ful (?) , a. Sportive; gamboling; frolicsome; indulging a sportive fancy; humorous; merry; as, a playful child; a playful writer. -- Play"ful*ly , adv. -- Play"ful*ness , n.

Playgame <Xpage=1098>

Play"game` (?) , n. Play of children.

Locke.

Playgoer <Xpage=1098>

Play"go`er (?) , n. One who frequents playhouses, or attends dramatic performances.

Playgoing <Xpage=1098>

Play"go`ing , a. Frequenting playhouses; as, the playgoing public . -- n. The practice of going to plays.

Playground <Xpage=1098>

Play"ground` (?) , n. A piece of ground used for recreation; as, the playground of a school .

Playhouse <Xpage=1098>

Play"house` (?) , n. [AS. plegh&umac;s .] 1. A building used for dramatic exhibitions; a theater.

Shak.

2. A house for children to play in; a toyhouse.

Playing <Xpage=1098>

Play"ing , a. & vb. n. of Play .

Playing cards . See under Card .

Playmaker <Xpage=1098>

Play"mak`er (?) , n. A playwright. [R.]

Playmate <Xpage=1098>

Play"mate` (?) , n. A companion in diversions; a playfellow.

Playsome <Xpage=1098>

Play"some (?) , a. Playful; wanton; sportive. [R.] R. Browning . -- Play"some*ness , n. [R.]

Playte <Xpage=1098>

Playte (?) , n. (Naut.) See Pleyt .

Plaything <Xpage=1098>

Play"thing` (?) , n. A thing to play with; a toy; anything that serves to amuse.

A child knows his nurse, and by degrees the playthings of a little more advanced age. Locke.

Playtime <Xpage=1098>

Play"time` (?) , n. Time for play or diversion.

Playwright <Xpage=1098>

Play"wright` (?) , n. A maker or adapter of plays.

Playwriter <Xpage=1098>

Play"writ`er (?) , n. A writer of plays; a dramatist; a playwright.

Lecky.

Plaza <Xpage=1098>

Pla"za (?) , n. [Sp. See Place .] A public square in a city or town.

Plea <Xpage=1098>

Plea (?) , n. [OE. plee , plai , plait , fr. OF. plait , plaid , plet , LL. placitum judgment, decision, assembly, court, fr. L. placitum that which is pleasing, an opinion, sentiment, from placere to please. See Please , and cf. Placit , Plead .] 1. (Law) That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause; in a stricter sense, an allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer ; in a still more limited sense, and in modern practice, the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's declaration and demand. That which the plaintiff alleges in his declaration is answered and repelled or justified by the defendant's plea . In chancery practice, a plea is a special answer showing or relying upon one or more things as a cause why the suit should be either dismissed, delayed, or barred. In criminal practice, the plea is the defendant's formal answer to the indictment or information presented against him.

2. (Law) A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas . See under Common .

The Supreme Judicial Court shall have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed. Laws of Massachusetts.

3. That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification; an excuse; an apology. "Necessity, the tyrant's plea ."

Milton.

No plea must serve; 't is cruelty to spare. Denham.

4. An urgent prayer or entreaty.

Pleas of the crown (Eng. Law) , criminal actions.

Pleach <Xpage=1098>

Pleach (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Pleached (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Pleaching .] [Cf. OF. plaissier to bend, and also F. plisser to plait, L. plicare , plicitum , to fold, lay, or wind together. Cf. Plash to pleach.] To unite by interweaving, as branches of trees; to plash; to interlock. "The pleached bower."

Shak.

Plead <Xpage=1098>

Plead (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Pleaded ( colloq. Plead (?) or Pled ); p. pr. & vb. n. Pleading .] [OE. pleden , plaiden , OF. plaidier, F. plaider , fr. LL. placitare , fr. placitum . See Plea .] 1. To argue in support of a claim, or in defense against the claim of another; to urge reasons for or against a thing; to attempt to persuade one by argument or supplication; to speak by way of persuasion; as, to plead for the life of a criminal; to plead with a judge or with a father.

O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor! Job xvi. 21.

2. (Law) To present an answer, by allegation of fact, to the declaration of a plaintiff; to deny the plaintiff's declaration and demand, or to allege facts which show that ought not to recover in the suit; in a less strict sense, to make an allegation of fact in a cause; to carry on the allegations of the respective parties in a cause; to carry on a suit or plea.

Blackstone. Burrill. Stephen.

3. To contend; to struggle. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Plead <Xpage=1098>

Plead (?) , v. t. 1. To discuss, defend, and attempt to maintain by arguments or reasons presented to a tribunal or person having uthority to determine; to argue at the bar; as, to plead a cause before a court or jury .

Every man should plead his own matter. Sir T. More.

&hand; In this sense, argue is more generally used by lawyers.

2. To allege or cite in a legal plea or defense, or for repelling a demand in law; to answer to an indictment; as, to plead usury; to plead statute of limitations; to plead not guilty.

Kent.

3. To allege or adduce in proof, support, or vendication; to offer in excuse; as, the law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of ambassadors .

Spenser.

I will neither plead my age nor sickness, in excuse of faults. Dryden.

Pleadable <Xpage=1098>

Plead"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of being pleaded; capable of being alleged in proof, defense, or vindication; as, a right or privilege pleadable at law .

Dryden.

Pleader <Xpage=1098>

Plead"er (?) , n. [F. plaideur .] 1. One who pleads; one who argues for or against; an advotate.

So fair a pleader any cause may gain. Dryden.

2. (Law) One who draws up or forms pleas; the draughtsman of pleas or pleadings in the widest sense; as, a special pleader .

Pleading <Xpage=1098>

Plead"ing , n. The act of advocating, defending, or supporting, a cause by arguments.

Pleadingly <Xpage=1098>

Plead"ing*ly , adv. In a pleading manner.

Pleadings <Xpage=1098>

Plead"ings (?) , n. pl. (Law) The mutual pleas and replies of the plaintiff and defendant, or written statements of the parties in support of their claims, proceeding from the declaration of the plaintiff, until issue is joined, and the question made to rest on some single point.

Blackstone.

Pleasance <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ance (?) , n. [F. plaisance . See Please .] 1. Pleasure; merriment; gayety; delight; kindness. [Archaic] Shak. "Full great pleasance ." Chaucer . "A realm of pleasance ." Tennyson .

2. A secluded part of a garden. [Archaic]

The pleasances of old Elizabethan houses. Ruskin.

Pleasant <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ant (?) , a. [F. plaisant . See Please .] 1. Pleasing; grateful to the mind or to the senses; agreeable; as, a pleasant journey; pleasant weather.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Ps. cxxxiii. 1.

2. Cheerful; enlivening; gay; sprightly; humorous; sportive; as, pleasant company; a pleasant fellow.

From grave to light, from pleasant to serve. Dryden.

Syn. -- Pleasing; gratifying; agreeable; cheerful; good-humored; enlivening; gay; lively; merry; sportive; humorous; jocose; amusing; witty. -- Pleasant , Pleasing , Agreeable . Agreeable is applied to that which agrees with, or is in harmony with, one's tastes, character, etc. Pleasant and pleasing denote a stronger degree of the agreeable. Pleasant refers rather to the state or condition; pleasing , to the act or effect. Where they are applied to the same object, pleasing is more energetic than pleasant ; as, she is always pleasant and always pleasing . The distinction, however, is not radical and not rightly observed.

Pleasant <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ant , n. A wit; a humorist; a buffoon. [Obs.]

Pleasantly <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ant*ly , adv. In a pleasant manner.

Pleasantness <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ant*ness , n. The state or quality of being pleasant.

Pleasantry <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ant*ry (?) , n. ; pl. Pleasantries (#) . [F. plaisanterie . See Pleasant .] That which denotes or promotes pleasure or good humor; cheerfulness; gayety; merriment; especially, an agreeable playfulness in conversation; a jocose or humorous remark; badinage.

The grave abound in pleasantries , the dull in repartees and points of wit. Addison.

The keen observation and ironical pleasantry of a finished man of the world. Macaulay.

Pleasant-tongued <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ant-tongued` (?) , a. Of pleasing speech.

Please <Xpage=1098>

Please (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Pleased ; p. pr. & vb. n. Pleasing .] [OE. plesen , OF. plaisir , fr. L. placere , akin to placare to reconcile. Cf. Complacent , Placable , Placid , Plea , Plead , Pleasure .] 1. To give pleasure to; to excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to make glad; to gratify; to content; to satisfy.

I pray to God that it may plesen you. Chaucer.

What next I bring shall please thee, be assured. Milton.

2. To have or take pleasure in; hence, to choose; to wish; to desire; to will.

Whatsoever the Lord pleased , that did he. Ps. cxxxv. 6.

A man doing as he wills, and doing as he pleases , are the same things in common speech. J. Edwards.

3. To be the will or pleasure of; to seem good to; -- used impersonally. "It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell."

Col. i. 19.

To-morrow, may it please you. Shak.

To be pleased in &or; with , to have complacency in; to take pleasure in. -- To be pleased to do a thing , to take pleasure in doing it; to have the will to do it; to think proper to do it.

Dryden.

Please <Xpage=1098>

Please (?) , v. i. 1. To afford or impart pleasure; to excite agreeable emotions.

What pleasing scemed, for her now pleases more. Milton.

For we that live to please , must please to live. Johnson.

2. To have pleasure; to be willing, as a matter of affording pleasure or showing favor; to vouchsafe; to consent.

Heavenly stranger, please to taste These bounties. Milton.

That he would please 8give me my liberty. Swift.

Pleased <Xpage=1098>

Pleased (?) , a. Experiencing pleasure. -- Pleas"ed*ly (#) , adv. -- Pleas"ed*ness , n.

Pleaseman <Xpage=1098>

Please"man (?) , n. An officious person who courts favor servilely; a pickthank. [Obs.]

Shak.

Pleaser <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"er (?) , n. One who pleases or gratifies.

Pleasing <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ing , a. Giving pleasure or satisfaction; causing agreeable emotion; agreeable; delightful; as, a pleasing prospect; pleasing manners. " Pleasing harmony." Shak. " Pleasing features." Macaulay . -- Pleas"ing*ly , adv. -- Pleas"ing*ness , n.

Syn. -- Gratifying; delightful; agreeable. See Pleasant .

Pleasing <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ing , n. An object of pleasure. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Pleasurable <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ur*a*ble (?) , a. Capable of affording pleasure or satisfaction; gratifying; abounding in pleasantness or pleasantry.

Planting of orchards is very . . . pleasurable . Bacon.

O, sir, you are very pleasurable . B. Jonson.

-- Pleas"ur*a*ble*ness , n. -- Pleas"ur*a*bly , adv.

Pleasure <Xpage=1098>

Pleas"ure (?) , n. [F. plaisir , originally an infinitive. See Please .] 1. The gratification of the senses or of the mind; agreeable sensations or emotions; the excitement, relish, or happiness produced by the expectation or the enjoyment of something good, delightful, or satisfying; -- opposed to pain , sorrow , etc.

At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Ps. xvi. 11.

2. Amusement; sport; diversion; self-indulgence; frivolous or dissipating enjoyment; hence, sensual gratification; -- opposed to labor , service , duty , self-denial , etc. "Not sunk in carnal pleasure ."

Milton.

He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man. Prov. xxi. 17.

Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. 2 Tim. iii. 4.