play both ends against the middle
play both sides against the middle

If he did, he'd be in a pretty position to play both ends against the middle.

He's been playing both ends against the middle, I know.

Even now, he's trying to play both ends against the middle.

Music was produced by playing both ends against the middle.

In my native land, it's known as playing both ends against the middle.

It's already looking like she managed to play both ends against the middle.

He has been playing both ends against the middle and now he's stuck.

"I play both ends against the middle and do virtually nothing," he said.

Sounds to me as though your priest might being playing both ends against the middle.

Kissinger himself showed a similar ability to play both ends against the middle.

Do you always play both ends against the middle?

The United States government played both ends against the middle.

He'd play both ends against the middle as long as possible.

The Mentat seemed to be playing both ends against the middle for some game of his own.

I can't afford to rely on somebody who might be playing both ends against the middle in this thing.

Have to be careful when we're playing both ends against the middle, eh, Tom?

Meanwhile, Cardiff can carry on playing both ends against the middle.

You made bad friends, Johnny, when you decided to play both ends against the middle.

So he plays both ends against the middle.

Our friend Shigehero is playing both ends against the middle," Early said. "

Acorna decided Kando had enjoyed playing both ends against the middle for too long.

Protected by their ancient institution, priests could afford to be cynical, to play both ends against the middle.

Or was he a free agent who was playing both ends against the middle for some other not-yet-revealed purpose?

Magnus plays both ends against the middle, he wouldn't want Cicero knowing all his thoughts.

That was good, unless she's playing both sides against the middle.

Why on earth would we trust a machine that seems to be playing both sides against the middle?

Brandt's playing both sides against the middle, and you're a damned fool if you trust a word he says.

Menares was playing both sides against the middle, Anna felt, but she had no real proof, only her feelings.

Schizophrenic, confused or just shrewdly playing both sides against the middle?

Tusari Gyn was very experienced at playing both sides against the middle.

Charabi has begun playing both sides against the middle us against Iran.

Maybe he was playing both sides against the middle- funneling useless information to the Syndicate, and vice versa.

Chalabi is playing both sides against the middle and holding up a mirror that may or may not reflect reality.

She had been the leak from the Polaney campaign, taking Remo's money and playing both sides against the middle.

By playing both sides against the middle general commissar Litzmann was able to govern it much as he saw fit

Bronson and his opportunists playing both sides against the middle for private gain....

Playing both sides against the middle they kept the major combatants constantly reminded of a (very real) need to "protect" irreplaceable Lixorian industries.

Becoming a secret informant for the government, Tolly ends up playing both sides against the middle in his cagey campaign to bring down the remaining mobsters.

Part of the problem is Mr. Gorbachev's strategy of playing both sides against the middle, simultaneously promising to move toward a market economy and to preserve socialism.

It occurred to him that if Woburn did come out on top, things might get quite uncomfortable for temporizers and those who'd tried to play both sides against the middle.

We think he also got into drugs, prostitution and pornography, but he was always clever enough to stay one step ahead, and he played both sides against the middle.

This time around, with the exception of Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic candidates seem to be saying what they really believe rather than trying to play both sides against the middle.

Never mind that Fiat played both sides against the middle, threatening unions in Italy with moving headquarters to Brazil or even, believe it or not, the United States.

Holden then begins to play both sides against the middle, hoping he will be able to free himself of his obligations to Tao and Lynch and run away with Miss Misery.

Palin argued that the president is "trying to play both sides against the middle" and is pushing a policy that will "destroy jobs and impose a new national tax on energy on all of us."

He returned to Battle, where he once again teamed up with Alan Hebden to create "El Mestizo", a black gun-for-hire who played both sides against the middle during the American Civil War.

William B. Quandt, acting director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said that the Arab states have sought to play both sides against the middle during the conflict.