Daily life
play it by ear
decide as circumstances develop
If you play it by ear, you wait and decide what to do as the situation develops.
Hear it in real life
What time should we book dinner?
Let's play it by ear and see how tired we are.
We might go out tonight, but we'll play it by ear.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: We'll play it with the ear when we get there.
Say: We'll play it by ear when we get there.
The fixed expression is “play it by ear,” not “play it with the ear.”
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
play it by ear; let's play it by ear; played it by ear
Your turn: say it out loud
We might go out tonight, but we'll play it by ear.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
play it by ear
decide as circumstances develop
“We might go out tonight, but we'll play it by ear.”
heytardy
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