play out

play out idiom
  1. Finish, run out, as in This extreme fashion will soon play out, or The tension between factions will surely play itself out by next year. [Late 1500s]
  2. Unwind, unreel, as in They slowly played out the cable. Also see played out.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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