1. British term for a long-term confidence
trick, or con. A multi-step scam, often involving multiple
people and aimed at obtaining large sums of
money from marks, or suckers.
2. More generally, any strategy with a long-term goal of gaining the upper-hand. Often used to describe politicians trying to outwit opponents.
1. Took a year, but Richard and Alice managed to get a couple dozen
rich widows to invest in their bogus mutual fund; they played the
long game and won big.
2. The prime minister seemed weak in his negotiations with the Russians, but in reality she's playing the
long game and giving them a false sense of security.