plays on
Continues the music
Plays on means exploits or takes advantage of something, often an emotion or vulnerability: The ad plays on parents' fears about safety.
It can also mean makes a pun or wordplay based on something: The title plays on the double meaning of "cell".
In both senses, there's something being leveraged or manipulated for effect.
- double entendrePhrase with hidden lewdness
- punWordplay using double meanings
- bluffingDeceiving about one's position
- guilt-trippingInducing remorse deliberately
- guilt tripInducing remorse for leverage
allusion · anagram · preys · capitalizes · misdirection · gaslighting · homage · twist · irony · spoonerism · performs · caricature · satire · manipulates · parody · spin · teases · persuasion