play for time
play for time — 慣用語
1. to cause a delay in a situation by doing or saying things that are not directly
拖延時間
用不相關的事來延遲做決定
to cause a delay in a situation by doing or saying things that are not directly important, so that you have more time to prepare or can avoid making an immediate decision
When the journalist asked about the scandal, the politician played for time by discussing the weather.
當記者問到醜聞時，那位政治人物藉著談論天氣來拖延時間。
played for time + by [doing something] pattern
Sari's essay was not finished, so she played for time by searching for it in her bag.
Sari 的作文還沒寫完，於是她藉著翻找書包來拖延時間。
The goalkeeper pretended to tie his shoelaces to play for time in the final minutes of the match.
守門員假裝綁鞋帶來拖延時間，當時比賽只剩下最後幾分鐘。
Asher kept asking technical questions during the presentation, but everyone knew he was just playing for time.
Asher 在簡報時不斷問技術問題，但大家都看得出來他只是在拖延時間。
Ritu said she needed to check with her lawyer to play for time before signing the contract.
Ritu 說她需要先問過律師，藉此拖延時間，再簽合約。
- stall
more informal; can also apply to engines or processes stopping
- buy time
broader meaning; can involve any method of gaining more time, not just talking or pretending
- procrastinate
refers to putting off a task you should do; not necessarily a deliberate tactic in a conversation
文法句型
play for time
playing for time (continuous form)
played for time (past simple)
用法筆記
Common in political, legal, and business contexts where someone is deliberately avoiding giving an immediate answer. Frequently appears in continuous form (is playing for time) or after verbs like try to, want to, need to.