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, 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.