Background
Play up
Play up verb - Move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent.
Background is an antonym for play up.
Both terms in one sentence
- This actually came about because the decision to play up Veidt's German background wasn't made until after the first scene in which he addresses the press - for which Goode used a generic American accent — had already been shot.
Source: Ooh Me Accents Slipping / Film - The one episode where she had a prominent speaking role, "Slice of Life," didn't have her mention humans at all.note That said, it did play up the very common ship between Lyra and Sweetie Drops/Bon Bon, whom Lyra is frequently paired with in the background.
Source: Word of Dante
Cite this Source
Play up and Background. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/background/play_up
Background & Play up. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/background/play_up>.
Play up or Background. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/background/play_up.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "background" and "play up" have occurred on timeline