看绝望的主妇学高频短语：Play hardball

Play Hardball：To be ruthless, aggressive, or harsh (with one) in order to achieve a certain result,, or to behave in an unpleasant, threatening way so that you get what you want. （采取决然果断方式或强硬手段）

Play Hardball这个词组和棒球有关。hardball是硬式棒球，打起来很激烈，不小心还会受伤，所以play hardball引申为“不客气”、“激烈竞争”等意思。
反之，软式棒球（即垒球）叫做softball，速度慢，球体 比较大而软，被击中也不容易受伤，所以play softball的意 思就是“手下留情”、“一团和气”。softball和hardball都可以当形容词用。例如:A softball question就是“比较客气、不尖锐的问题”。

E.G.1：I think it’s time we play hardball with the suspect—he’s not going to talk otherwise.

E.G2：The fact that Hayden wielded this unprecedented influence demonstrates that even at age 89 he was capable of playing hardball when the situation demanded it.