score points
verb1
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see score, point.
2
Derogatory, Figuratively, Often To outdo (someone) in an argument, especially by pandering or rhetorical convenience.
- He scored points with teachers by promising them higher pay.
- Instead of putting forward meaningful proposals, she's just trying to score political points.
1 more example
- The Tories are ideologically opposed to large state-run industries, and the Lib Dems can sniff an opportunity to score points in their freshly won commuting constituencies outside London.2025 February 19, Paul Clifton, “I am absolutely committed to reforming the railway”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 40: