play against type

English

Verb

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

1. To behave in a manner that is completely different from what is expected based on one's role.
   • 2003, Jeff Thull, Mastering the Complex Sale, page 89:

     There are several ways that successful salespeople play against type.

   • 2023 September 30, Alexis Petridis, “U2 review – an utterly astonishing, admirably raw Vegas extravaganza”, in The Guardian‎^[1], London:

     There’s always the chance that these rough edges are down to first night nerves – this is a show reliant on a lot of technology, which can obviously go wrong – or the fact that, as Bono points out, it’s the first U2 gig in 45 years that doesn’t have Larry Mullen playing the drums. Or, indeed, the fact that U2 are, in effect, playing against type. By their stadium-packing standards, an audience of 18,000 counts as intimate; it doesn’t involve their special skill of projecting their music to row ZZ in a vast outdoor venue.

Related terms

• typecast