From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishplay into somebody’s handsplay into somebody’s handsto do what someone you are competing with wants you to do, without realizing it If we respond with violence, we’ll be playing into their hands, giving them an excuse for a fight. → play
Examples from the Corpus
play into somebody’s hands• And what good you, you silly fool, playing into my hands like this?• Whatever he did would play into the hands of Isambard, whose traps were always dual, and could not be evaded.• We should be careful not to play into the hands of murderers.• Such action, I believed - and still believe - would have played into the hands of my enemies.• This, the futures industry frets, would play into the hands of Rep.• It plays into the hands of the opposition.• It would be playing into his hands to react to his deliberate teasing. 