play at cross purposes

verb

Roget 699: be unskillful etc. adj.; not see an inch beyond one's nose; blunder, bungle, boggle, fumble, botch, bitch, flounder, stumble, trip; hobble etc. 275; put one's foot in it; make a mess of, make hash of, make sad work of; overshoot the mark.    play tricks with, play Puck, mismanage, misconduct, misdirect, misapply, missend.    stultify oneself, make a fool of oneself, commit oneself; act foolishly; play the fool; put oneself out of court; lose control, lose control of oneself, lose one's head, lose one's cunning.    begin at the wrong end; do things by halves etc. (not complete) 730; make two bites of a cherry; play at cross purposes; strain at a gnat and swallow a camel etc. (caprice) 608; put the cart before the horse; lock the stable door when the horse is stolen etc. (too late) 135.    not know what one is about, not know one's own interest, not know on which side one's bread is buttered; stand in one's own light, quarrel with one's bread and butter, throw a stone in one's own garden, kill the goose which lays the golden eggs, pay dear for one's whistle, cut one's own throat, bum one's fingers; knock one's head against a stone wall, beat one's head against a stone wall; fall into a trap, catch a Tartar, bring the house about one's ears; have too many eggs in one basket (imprudent) 863, have too many irons in the fire.    mistake etc. 495; take the shadow for the substance etc. (credulity) 486; bark up the wrong tree; be in the wrong box, aim at a pigeon and kill a crow; take the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong pig by the tail, get the wrong sow by the ear, get the dirty end of the stick; put the saddle on the wrong horse, put a square peg into a round hole, put new wine into old bottles.    cut blocks with a razor; hold a farthing candle to the sun etc. (useless) 645; fight with a shadow, grasp at a shadow; catch at straws, lean on a broken reed, reckon without one's host, pursue a wild goose chase; go on a fool's goose chase, sleeveless errand; go further and fare worse; lose one's way, miss one's way; fail etc. 732.    ... show more

Roget 495: be erroneous etc. adj.. cause error; mislead, misguide; lead astray, lead into error; beguile, misinform etc. (misteach) 538^†; delude; give a false impression, give a false idea; falsify, misstate; deceive etc. 545; lie etc. 544.    err; be in error etc. adj., be mistaken etc. v.; be deceived etc. (duped) 547; mistake, receive a false impression, deceive oneself; fall into error, lie under error, labor under an error etc. n.; be in the wrong, blunder; misapprehend, misconceive, misunderstand, misreckon, miscount, miscalculate etc. (misjudge) 481.    play at cross purposes, be at cross purposes etc. (misinterpret) 523.    trip, stumble; lose oneself etc. (uncertainty) 475; go astray; fail etc. 732; be in the wrong box; take the wrong sow by the ear etc. (mismanage) 699; put the saddle on the wrong horse; reckon without one's host; take the shadow for the substance etc. (credulity) 486; dream etc. (imagine) 515.    ... show more

Roget 523: misinterpret, misapprehend, misunderstand, misconceive, misspell, mistranslate, misconstrue, misapply; mistake etc. 495.    misrepresent, pervert; explain wrongly, misstate; garble etc. (falsify) 544; distort, detort^†; travesty, play upon words; stretch the sense, strain the sense, stretch the meaning, strain the meaning, wrest the sense, wrest the meaning; explain away; put a bad construction on, put a false construction on; give a false coloring.    be at cross purposes, play at cross purposes.    ... show more

Roget 708: oppose, counteract, run counter to; withstand etc. (resist) 719; control etc. (restrain) 751; hinder etc. 706; antagonize, oppugn, fly in the face of, go dead against, kick against, fall afoul of, run afoul of; set against, pit against; face, confront, cope with; make a stand, make a dead set against; set oneself against, set one's face against; protest against, vote against, raise one's voice against; disfavor, turn one's back upon; set at naught, slap in the face, slam the door in one's face.    be at cross purposes; play at cross purposes; counterwork^†, countermine; thwart, overthwart^†; work against, undermine.    stem, breast, encounter; stem the tide, breast the tide, stem the current, stem the flood; buffet the waves; beat up against, make head against; grapple with; kick against the pricks etc. (resist) 719; contend etc. 720; do battle with etc. (warfare) 722, do battle against.    contradict, contravene; belie; go against, run against, beat against, militate against; come in conflict with.    emulate etc. (compete) 720; rival, spoil one's trade.    ... show more

Roget 519: be unintelligible etc. adj.; require explanation etc. 522; have a doubtful meaning, pass comprehension.    render unintelligible etc. adj.; conceal etc. 528; darken etc. 421; confuse etc. (derange) 61; perplex etc. (bewilder) 475.    not understand etc. 518; lose, lose the clue; miss; not know what to make of, be able to make nothing of, give it up; not be able to account for, not be able to make either head or tail of; be at sea etc. (uncertain) 475; wonder etc. 870; see through a glass darkly etc. (ignorance) 491.    not understand one another; play at cross purposes etc. (misinterpret) 523.    ... show more

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