play downmake sth. less important 贬低；缩小 * He gave all the credit to the others and played down his own part in the work. 他把功劳都归于别人，而对自己的作用则轻描淡写，一带而过。 * The doctors thought it necessary to play down the serious nature of her illness. 医生认为把她的严重病情说得轻一些是必要的。 * The newspaper reports played down the actor's unattractive past. 新闻报道对于该演员不光彩的过去很少提到。play down贬低某事物的重要性：We should never play down science and technology，they are the most important elements to raise our production. 我们不应当贬低科学和技术的重要性，它们是提高生产的最重要因素。 |