"play into someone's hands" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "plays into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "playing into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "play into someone's hands (third-person singular simple present plays into someone's hands, present participle playing into someone's hands, simple past and past participle played into someone's hands)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2023 March 23, Phil McNulty, “Italy 1-2 England”, in BBC Sport",
          "text": "It had been suggested Napoli's fans struggle to form an attachment with the Italy team and their silence throughout the first half and reaction at half time suggested they could hardly wait to get back to throwing their passion and fire behind their own team as they run away with Serie A and chase the Champions League.\nThe subdued mood played into England's hands, Gareth Southgate's side only making life difficult for themselves with their own indifferent showing that almost allowed Italy back in.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act, or to manage matters, to someone's advantage or benefit."
      ],
      "id": "en-play_into_someone's_hands-en-verb-Zcj7ZOKV",
      "links": [
        [
          "advantage",
          "advantage"
        ],
        [
          "benefit",
          "benefit"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "play into someone's hand"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
          "word": "pelata jonkun pussiin"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
          "word": "faire le jeu de"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
          "word": "jemandem in die Hände spielen"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "działać na czyjąś korzyść"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "igrátʹ ná ruku",
          "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
          "word": "игра́ть на́ руку impf кому-либо"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "play into someone's hands"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "plays into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "playing into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played into someone's hands",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "play into someone's hands (third-person singular simple present plays into someone's hands, present participle playing into someone's hands, simple past and past participle played into someone's hands)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2023 March 23, Phil McNulty, “Italy 1-2 England”, in BBC Sport",
          "text": "It had been suggested Napoli's fans struggle to form an attachment with the Italy team and their silence throughout the first half and reaction at half time suggested they could hardly wait to get back to throwing their passion and fire behind their own team as they run away with Serie A and chase the Champions League.\nThe subdued mood played into England's hands, Gareth Southgate's side only making life difficult for themselves with their own indifferent showing that almost allowed Italy back in.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act, or to manage matters, to someone's advantage or benefit."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "advantage",
          "advantage"
        ],
        [
          "benefit",
          "benefit"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "play into someone's hand"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
      "word": "pelata jonkun pussiin"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
      "word": "faire le jeu de"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
      "word": "jemandem in die Hände spielen"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "działać na czyjąś korzyść"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "igrátʹ ná ruku",
      "sense": "to act to someone's advantage",
      "word": "игра́ть на́ руку impf кому-либо"
    }
  ],
  "word": "play into someone's hands"
}