play one against another

play one against another

To manipulate two opposing sides of an argument, conflict, competition, etc., against one another for one's own benefit or advantage. My father and my uncle are engaged in a bitter business rivalry. If I can play one against another, I might be able to secure some sizeable investments for my own company. Janet really dislikes Mary and wants to date her boyfriend Mike, so she's been playing one against another to get them to break up.
See also: another, one, play
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • play (someone) off against (someone)
  • play both ends
  • play both ends against the middle
  • play both ends against the middle, to
  • play each end against the other
  • play each side against the other
  • play off against
  • play one end against the other
  • play one off against another/each other/the other
  • play one side against the other
References in periodicals archive
Sometimes agents play one against another and I don't want to get involved in any of that nonsense either."
IT'S NO BIG DEAL; Lenny defends Celtic's summer signing policy and insists it's quality over quantity for Bhoys
Although Stone slips into a verbal shorthand that makes Eastern Europe seem to be a unified actor, these divisions permitted the Soviet Union to play one against another. Much of the bargaining between the Soviet Union and individual satellite states that Stone studies may have been competition among the East Europeans for the all-valuable Soviet subsidy.
Satellites and Commissars: Strategy and Conflict in the Politics of Soviet-Bloc Trade