{"id":10357,"date":"2024-08-24T00:32:10","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T00:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/uncategorized\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/"},"modified":"2024-08-24T00:32:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-24T00:32:10","slug":"play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/","title":{"rendered":"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-humix-humix-block\" style=\"justify-content:center\"><div id=\"humix-vid-GC9RL5q6H4u\" props=\"autoplay=1\" style=\"width:640px;height:480px\" float><script async src=\"https:\/\/www.humix.com\/video.js\"><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences<\/h3>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Introduction to the Idiom<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>Hello everyone! In today&#8217;s lesson, we&#8217;re going to delve into the intriguing world of idioms. Specifically, we&#8217;ll be exploring the idiom &#8216;Play the Man and Not the Ball&#8217;. This expression, like many others, has a deeper meaning beyond its literal interpretation.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Origin and Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>The origin of this idiom can be traced back to the world of sports, particularly team games like football or basketball. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on the opponent rather than just the object of the game, such as the ball. Over time, this concept has been adopted in various contexts, extending beyond the realm of sports.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Understanding the Meaning<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>When we say &#8216;Play the Man and Not the Ball&#8217;, we&#8217;re essentially advising someone to pay attention to the bigger picture or the main issue at hand, rather than getting distracted by minor details. It&#8217;s about prioritizing what truly matters and not getting sidetracked by trivial matters.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Example Usage in Sentences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s explore a few examples to better grasp how this idiom is used in everyday conversations. Imagine a group project where one team member is overly concerned about the font style in the presentation, while neglecting the content. You could say, &#8216;John, you need to play the man and not the ball here. The content is what really counts.&#8217; Another instance could be during a debate, where one debater keeps focusing on the opponent&#8217;s appearance rather than their arguments. In such a scenario, the moderator might interject, &#8216;Let&#8217;s play the man and not the ball, shall we? The arguments are what we should be considering.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related Idiom Lessons<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more related idiom lessons of <strong>play the man and not the ball<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-ball-and-not-the-man-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/\">Play The Ball And Not The Man<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-angles-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/\">Play The Angles<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-field-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/\">Play The Field<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-fool-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/\">Play The Fool<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-gender-card-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/\">Play The Gender Card<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>In conclusion, idioms like &#8216;Play the Man and Not the Ball&#8217; add depth and richness to the English language. They encapsulate wisdom and offer valuable insights. By understanding and using such expressions, we not only enhance our language skills but also gain a deeper understanding of human interactions. So, the next time you come across this idiom, remember its essence and the valuable lesson it imparts. Thank you for watching, and until next time, keep exploring the fascinating world of idioms!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences Introduction to the Idiom Hello everyone! In today&#8217;s lesson, we&#8217;re going to delve into the intriguing world of idioms. Specifically, we&#8217;ll be exploring the idiom &#8216;Play the Man and Not the Ball&#8217;. This expression, like many others, has a deeper [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-idioms"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom - Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences - English Lessons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom - Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences - English Lessons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences Introduction to the Idiom Hello everyone! In today&#8217;s lesson, we&#8217;re going to delve into the intriguing world of idioms. Specifically, we&#8217;ll be exploring the idiom &#8216;Play the Man and Not the Ball&#8217;. This expression, like many others, has a deeper [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"English Lessons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-24T00:32:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Carter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Carter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Carter\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdba717cab254da614f9d19cd3100c13\"},\"headline\":\"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-24T00:32:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":415,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"English Idioms\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/\",\"name\":\"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom - Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences - English Lessons\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-24T00:32:10+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/english-idioms\\\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/\",\"name\":\"English Lessons\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"English Lessons\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/logo.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/logo.gif\",\"width\":60,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"English Lessons\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdba717cab254da614f9d19cd3100c13\",\"name\":\"Michael Carter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8793c91375d95d2735c1ce479c21a8bfe7c497368e7d3d9b349491478ccff93e?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8793c91375d95d2735c1ce479c21a8bfe7c497368e7d3d9b349491478ccff93e?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8793c91375d95d2735c1ce479c21a8bfe7c497368e7d3d9b349491478ccff93e?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michael Carter\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/englishteststore.net\\\/lesson\\\/author\\\/michael\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom - Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences - English Lessons","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom - Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences - English Lessons","og_description":"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences Introduction to the Idiom Hello everyone! In today&#8217;s lesson, we&#8217;re going to delve into the intriguing world of idioms. Specifically, we&#8217;ll be exploring the idiom &#8216;Play the Man and Not the Ball&#8217;. This expression, like many others, has a deeper [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/","og_site_name":"English Lessons","article_published_time":"2024-08-24T00:32:10+00:00","author":"Michael Carter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michael Carter","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Carter","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#\/schema\/person\/cdba717cab254da614f9d19cd3100c13"},"headline":"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences","datePublished":"2024-08-24T00:32:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/"},"wordCount":415,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#organization"},"articleSection":["English Idioms"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/","url":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/","name":"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom - Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences - English Lessons","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-08-24T00:32:10+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/english-idioms\/play-the-man-and-not-the-ball-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Play the Man and Not the Ball Idiom &#8211; Meaning and Example Usage in Sentences"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/","name":"English Lessons","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#organization","name":"English Lessons","url":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/logo.gif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/logo.gif","width":60,"height":50,"caption":"English Lessons"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/#\/schema\/person\/cdba717cab254da614f9d19cd3100c13","name":"Michael Carter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8793c91375d95d2735c1ce479c21a8bfe7c497368e7d3d9b349491478ccff93e?s=96&d=retro&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8793c91375d95d2735c1ce479c21a8bfe7c497368e7d3d9b349491478ccff93e?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8793c91375d95d2735c1ce479c21a8bfe7c497368e7d3d9b349491478ccff93e?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Michael Carter"},"url":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/author\/michael\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10357\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/englishteststore.net\/lesson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}