play it by ear

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

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→ ear
 
IMPROVISE, extemporize, ad lib; make it up as one goes along, think on one's feet; informal busk it, wing it.
→ play

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play it by ear
To deal with a situation as it develops without advance planning
• • •
Main Entry: ↑ear
————————
play it by ear
To improvise a plan of action to meet the situation as it develops (see also ↑play by ear under ↑ear1)
• • •
Main Entry: ↑play

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play it by ear phrase
to decide what to do as a situation develops rather than planning what you will do before you start

We don’t know how many people are going to come, so we’ll play it by ear.

Thesaurus: to do something without preparationsynonym
Main entry: play

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play it by ˈear idiom
(informal) to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops rather than by having a plan to follow

•

I'm not sure how many people are expected— we'll just have to play it by ear.

•

I don't know what they'll want when they arrive— we'll have to play it by ear.

Main entry: ↑earidiom

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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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 —    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

  • 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

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