play a joke/trick on someone idiom
迷惑;捉弄
to confuse someone or cause problem for them
I thought I heard something - my ears must have been playing tricks on me. 我好像听到了什么声音——我的耳朵一定是在捉弄我。
Fate played a cruel trick on him when he was injured in his first game. 命运与他开了一个残忍的玩笑，他在第一场比赛中就受了伤。