playing it safe

"If the candidates are unwilling to say anything new and provocative, the media will focus on their misstatements and artless dodges. ... Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing Harris can do."

At this point, playing it safe is the most dangerous thing Harris can do.

Carsley could have been forgiven for playing it safe, with his credentials to succeed Gareth Southgate on a permanent basis bolstered by two wins from two in the Uefa Nations League.

“Mostly every step of the way she was playing it safe,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who worked for Schwarzenegger when he was governor.

But he was playing it safe, not putting it all out there; like most comedians, he was honing his best jokes for the next one-hour special.