play up

(verb) move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent. Synonyms: foreground, highlight, spotlight, play up. Example: "The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics."

(verb) ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behavior. Synonyms: cozy up, cotton up, shine up, play up, sidle up, suck up. Example: "She is playing up to the chairman."