play into the hands of

Related to play into the hands of: play into someone's hands

play (right) into the hands of (one)

To unwittingly do exactly what one wants or needs in order for one's plans or schemes to succeed. Don't waste your time investigating her husband! You're playing into the hands of the real killer! These violent, hate-filled demonstrations are playing right into the hands of the groups we're protesting against.
See also: hand, of, play
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

play into someone's hands

Fig. [for a person one is scheming against] to assist one in one's scheming without realizing it. John is doing exactly what I hoped he would. He's playing into my hands. John played into my hands by taking the cash he found in my desk. I caught him and had him arrested.
See also: hand, play
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

play into the hands of

Act so as to give an advantage to an opponent, as in The senator played right into the hands of her opponents when she backed that unpopular amendment to the tax bill . [c. 1700]
See also: hand, of, play
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

play into (someone's) hands

To act or behave so as to give an advantage to an opponent.
See also: hand, play
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • play (right) into (one's) hands
  • play (right) into the hands of (one)
  • play into hands
  • play into somebody's hands
  • play into someone's hands
  • (one's) old man
  • at (one's) doorstep
  • at doorstep
  • (from) top to toe
  • at expense
References in periodicals archive
He added: "Cheap, sensationalist soundbites about creating an offence of 'travelling whilst Asian' are only likely to inflame moderate Muslim opinion and thus play into the hands of the terrorist.
Officers' anger over profiling 'ignorance'
Neutralizing him would thus play into the hands of Hamas and Jihad, supplying them with more recruits to launch more attacks against Israelis."
Arafat's ongoing terrorism
It collates valuable critique of Habraken's ideas -- some threatened by an undermining of the creative and professional role of architects, others by an ideology which seemed to play into the hands of big industry -- an anathema in the ideologically heady days of the '60s.
HOUSING FOR THE MILLIONS, JOHN HABRAKEN AND THE SAR (1960-2000)
That would only play into the hands of terrorists who are deeply opposed to the Good Friday Agreement and all that it stands for.
Comment: We've gone too far to let chance slip
He warned Galloway - and fellow back-bencher Ian Davidson - their criticism would only play into the hands of the nationalists.
Galloway remains defiant over Reid's rebuke
Indeed, our media's obsession with hate may even play into the hands of the evil, may breathe air into the smoldering embers of their paranoid loathing.
Hate Crimes
Tibi, a prolific scholar of Islam and Arab politics, repeatedly warns against the abuse of his argument: "we must never lose sight of the distinction between Islam and Islamic fundamentalism; any promotion of hostility to Islam itself in the guise of a clash of civilizations would unwittingly play into the hands of the fundamentalists in their efforts to antagonize the West" (p.
Political Islam and the New World Disorder
There are fears that removing ethnic Albanians from the area immediately around Kosovo may play into the hands of Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic by making it more difficult for them to return to their homes.
Leaders discuss housing refugees