expectations game
English
Noun
expectations game
- Efforts to influence opinion through diminishing expectations of one's performance or creating elevated expectations for an opponent
- "But at this point his team has fumbled the expectations game to the point where the governor will need to perform at a level well above anything we’ve seen from him to date if he wants to pull off the "W"."
Usage notes
- Often phrased as "playing the expectations game"
See also
- spin