- play it by ear
- to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops rather than planning how you are going to react.
I'm not sure how long I'll stay at the party. I'll just play it by ear.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
play it by ear
Look at other dictionaries:
play (something) by ear — 1. to deal with a situation as it develops and without a plan. I m not sure if I can go bowling or not, I ll just have to play it by ear. Usage notes: sometimes used with other verbs: I write by ear, and rarely with any exact notion of how I want … New idioms dictionary
play it by ear — If you play it by ear, you don t have a plan of action, but decide what to do as events take shape … The small dictionary of idiomes
play it by ear — play without a plan, improvise, jam If our plans fail, we can play it by ear. We ll be creative! … English idioms
play (something) by ear — play (sth) by ˈear idiom to play music by remembering how it sounds rather than by reading it Main entry: ↑earidiom … Useful english dictionary
play it by ear — verb decide on one s actions as one goes along, depending on the situation She didn t know what to expect from her new job, so she played it by ear • Hypernyms: ↑act, ↑move • Verb Frames: Somebody s * * * See play … Useful english dictionary
play it by ear — If you play it by ear, you don t have a plan of action, but decide what to do as events take shape. (Dorking School Dictionary) *** This expression means to improvise or do something without preparation, according to the demands of the … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
play it by ear — until we know all the facts, we ll have to play it by ear when a guest doesn t show up for live radio, you learn quickly how to play it by ear Syn: improvise, extemporize, ad lib; make it up as one goes along, think on one s feet, informal wing… … Thesaurus of popular words
play it by ear — verb a) To play a song according to how it sounds, rather than from a written score If they ask for something we didnt prepare, we will have to play it by ear. b) To do something by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; … Wiktionary
play something by ear — 1》 perform music without having seen a score. 2》 (play it by ear) informal proceed instinctively according to circumstances rather than according to rules or a plan. → play … English new terms dictionary
play it by ear — decide on something according to the situation Let s play it by ear and decide what to do after we see the movie … Idioms and examples
