to play it by ear
– C1-C2 (advanced) –
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In Canadian and American English, this idiom typically means:
to do something spontaneously
to do something without preparation or planning
EXAMPLES
(definition 1) “No, I don’t have any plans this weekend. I’m probably just gonna play it by ear; maybe I’ll watch a movie, maybe I won’t… We’ll see.”
(definition 1) “Whenever we travel we prefer to play it by ear. We don’t like having a bunch of plans that tie us up, limiting us in what we can do and when we can do it–that just doesn’t sound relaxing to us. If we want to go out to eat, then we do it. If we feel like going for a hike, then we do it. If we’re recommended a fun activity by locals while on our trip, then we do it right then…”
(definition 2) “You know, he came into the meeting completely unprepared–he had forgotten that he was presenting his proposal to the client today–but ended up doing really well just playing it by ear. He articulately communicated the idea for the project, including all its fine details, and even answered every question he received with confident ease and professionalism.”
Do you ever play it by ear? What was the last thing that you played by ear? Practice using this idiom by letting me know in the comments below.
