work the refs

Verb

work the refs (third-person singular simple present works the refs, present participle working the refs, simple past and past participle worked the refs)

1. To attempt to persuade the referee or other officials to view the players on one's team with a sympathetic bias.
   • You should also work the refs during pregame warmups, telling them how hard your players work on blocking out in practice and hope that the refs give your players a fair chance.1996, William E. Warren, L. Chapman, Basketball Coach's Survival Guide, →ISBN, page 233
   • He worked the refs better than anyone I've ever seen. He was a great bench coach, too. He had a great feel for playing the right people at the right time.1998, Rod Hundley, Tom McEachin, Hot Rod Hundley: "You Gotta Love It, Baby", →ISBN, page 241
2. (broadly) To manipulate the press to view one's candidate favorably and to report negative stories on one's opponent.
   • Slater said that Bush would charm reporters in an attempt to "work the refs" much like a basketball coach will try to cajole and hassle referees in order to influence calls.2006, James E. Mueller, Towel Snapping the Press, →ISBN
   • Today this pressure is better funded and more coordinated on the Right, making their efforts to work the refs, to script our political spectacles, more powerful.2010, Julie Drew, William Lyons, Lance Svehla, Sound-Bite Saboteurs, →ISBN