Hold back and Play down

Hold back verb - To create difficulty for the work or activity of.

Play down and hold back are semantically related In some cases you can use "Play down" instead a verb "Hold back".

Play down verb - To express scornfully one's low opinion of.

Hold back and play down are semantically related in pretend as if something were unimportant topic. Sometimes you can use "Hold back" instead a verb "Play down".