set off vs play up

set off and play up both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
set off	No	No	Yes	No
play up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, play up is a hyponym of set off; that is, play up is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than set off:

Other hyponyms of set off include pick up, foreground, highlight, spotlight, raise.

set off (verb)	play up (verb)
cause to burst with a violent release of energy	move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
set in motion or cause to begin	ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behavior
direct attention to, as if by means of contrast
provoke or stir up
put in motion or move to act
depart for someplace
make up for