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MUSCOVITE Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

'to downplay' vs 'to play down' (a problem, etc.)

Hi,

(1) Are these two verbs 100% equivalent/interchangeable?

(2) Could you give me more similar examples ( = version#1 is derived from version#2 by inverting the word order")?

mus-te
  

Top answer

Consider contexts: (1) Say there are two siblings and one unexpectedly excels at what the other one is most interested in being good at. The first might 'down play' the results in order not to hurt the sibling who might 'play down' his/her emotional shock or pain in order not to show it and also to maintain genuine support for a sibling's success. (2) Politically, your guess is as good as anyone's.

— Skype My English

  • Consider contexts: (1) Say there are two siblings and one unexpectedly excels at what the other one is most interested in being good at.
  • The first might 'down play' the results in order not to hurt the sibling who might 'play down' his/her emotional shock or pain in order not to show it and also to maintain genuine support for a sibling's success.
  • (2) Politically, your guess is as good as anyone's.
  • It's one of those phrases politicians deliberately mess up.
  • I might 'play down' my own successes if it meant hurting (a significant) other's feelings.
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1 Answers
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Consider contexts:
(1) Say there are two siblings and one unexpectedly excels at what the other one is most interested in being good at.
The first might 'down play' the results in order not to hurt the sibling who might 'play down' his/her emotional shock or pain in order not to show it and also to maintain genuine support for a sibling's success.
(2) Politically, your guess is as
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