playsb/sthoff againstsb/sth
—phrasal verbwithplayverbuk/pleɪ/us/pleɪ/
toencourageonepersonorgrouptocompeteorarguewith another,hopingtogainsomeadvantagefrom thissituation
（为渔利而）使相斗，挑拨离间
Managementpolicyseemedto be toplayonedepartmentoff against another.管理层的政策似乎在有意激起各部门之间的竞争。