play hell with

English

Verb

play hell with (third-person singular simple present plays hell with, present participle playing hell with, simple past and past participle played hell with)

1. Synonym of play the devil with.
   • 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 14:

     For the third time I played hell with the bell. As I lay waiting I could hear a sort of murmurousness beyond the door.

Related terms

• play merry hell with