Apedia

Play Field Horse I Plan Date Man Sweethearts

Idiom Play the Field
Example I don't plan to date just one man. I'm going to play the field.
Meaning to have many sweethearts or dates without going steady or committing yourself to one person
Origin During the 19th-century, gamblers who wanted to increase their chances of winning money at a horse race bet on every horse except the favorite. This was called "playing the field" (of horses). Later the phrase was extended to other areas of life, especially dating.

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