Lets play it by (y)ear

Which do you prefer

  • Play it by year
  • Play it by ear

0 voters

I have been having a little debate with a colleague…
When describing a situation in which you are going to wait and see what transpires before you make a decision would you use:

  1. Play it by year
    or
  2. Play it by ear

I have always said, play it by year, because I have always thought that it was appropriate due to its reference to time.
However, the new play it by ear idea seems quite appropriate as well, due to its reference to music and playing it as you hear it.

I would like to know what you guys think and\or use

There’s nothing new about “play it by ear”. That’s what it is. The musical reference is exactly it. “Play it by year” is wrong, mostly because the situation in question may not even last that long.

EDIT: Google backs this up. “Play it by year” - 151 results. “Play it by ear” - 26,900.
Also:

[quote=“The American Heritage Dictionary”]play it by ear To act according to the circumstances; improvise: [i]

You’ve been mistaken. That’s ok. It took me until the eighth grade to realize that people weren’t saying “for all intensive purposes”, but “for all intents and purposes”. :laughing:

Hehehehe… I remember a landscaping boss in my high school days who talked about all of the “French benefits” (fringe benefits) his previous job had… :smiling_imp:

We had a song in primary school that I was sure had a reference to “Mr. Chris Elephant.” Imagine my chagrin to discover that everyone else was (wrongly) singing “the circus elephant.” The teacher had to actually point out the lyrics in the book and the colour picture of the circus elephant before I would believe her.

“Scuse me while I kiss this guy.”

OK, well I guess its settled. I cant argue with a Google search. :notworthy:
It is going to be tough conceding defeat to my aforementioned colleague. My reputation as the English Expert(tongue in cheek) is shot :frowning:
However, I am going to keep on using play it by year (just to unique read stubborn) :fume:

I wasn’t until the ninth grade when I finally realized that when people talked of euthanasia, they weren’t speaking of little Asian rug rats :blush:

At least Bubbles is your avatar :laughing:. That’s worth some cool points in my book.

My particular problem song was the one conatining the words “Riding along on the Crest of a Wave…” I used to sing it at school.
I always thought it was “Riding along on a Cristopher wave” and I always wondered who Christopher was. I was about 14 when I realised I had been singing it wrong.

“Scuse me, while I kiss this guy.”

Don’t go out tonight,
Well it’s bound to take your life.
There’s a bathroom on the right.

I always thought the first line for “Summer of '69” was “I had my first real sex dream…”
Only realized my mistake about 2 years ago. And to think that I had thought Bryan Adams was cool!

The Joker
by the Steve Miller Band

[quote]I’m a picker, I’m a grinner
I’m a lover and I’m a sinner
I play my music in the sun
I’m a joker, I’m a smoker
I’m a midnight toker
I get my lovin’ on the run
Whooo Whooooo![/quote]

For many many years I heard “I’m a midnight tugger” and was rather perplexed as to why this chap was singing about his masturbatory habits.

[quote=“twonavels”]I always thought the first line for “Summer of '69” was “I had my first real sex dream…”
Only realized my mistake about 2 years ago. And to think that I had thought Bryan Adams was cool![/quote]
You’ve noticed that at the very end of the song, as the volume fades, he sings “me and my baby doin’ sixty-nine!”, haven’t you?

I was always confused byt hat girl who always raids the freezer before leaving her boyfriend. You know the one in:

“Every time you go away
You take a piece of meat with you”.

OK, not really, I made that one up.

Brian

The Original from The Kingsmen

CHORUS:

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go

Fine little girl waits for me
Catch a ship across the sea
Sail that ship about, all alone
Never know if I make it home

CHORUS

Three nights and days I sail the sea
Think of girl, constantly
On that ship, I dream she’s there
I smell the rose in her hair.

CHORUS

Okay, let’s give it to 'em, right now!

GUITAR SOLO

See Jamaica, the moon above
It won’t be long, me see me love
Take her in my arms again
Tell her I’ll never leave again

CHORUS

Let’s take it on outa here now
Let’s go!!

OR (the ones by The Kinks),

Louie louie, oh baby, I gotta go.
Yi-yi-yi-yi-yi
Louie louie, oh baby, I gotta go.

A fine girl, who waited for me.
I catch a ship across the sea.
I sailed the ship all alone.
I wondered when I

Ever tried to figure out the lyrics to Kate Bush songs?

There was a time when I liked her :blush: and was trying to piece together the lyrics to her songs (there were no liner notes included with the lp).

From Wuthering Heights I got:

Hip clear, it’s me
Can’t be
I’ve come home man
So cold
Let my hip in your window.

Then later after having the book assigned in high school, I realized that it was:

Heathcliff, it’s me
Kathy!
I’ve come home now
So cold!
Let me into your window.

Speaking of The Kinks…

Who knew Lola was a song about a transvestite? I had always thought it was a song about a really strong woman. It had sounded like a real sexy song.Imagine my surprise when I finally realized… :astonished:
I will sum this mis-interpretation up to my naivete and my father’s shitty cassette recording.
Great song nonetheless :sunglasses:

Canucklehead, your name is grossly at odds with your avatar. Bubbles is by far the smartest of all the TP Boys.

I couldn’t agree with you more!

Bubbles really has that entreprenurial panache. You gotta admire the man who hurtles shopping carts down a hill, only to repair them at home and sell them back to the supermarket.

But Ricky ain’t no dim-wit either :noway:

Radiohead’s Paranoid Android: I thought he said “This shit makes you look pretty ugly” when it was really “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly”. I think I liked my version better.

I’ve heard the following mistakes also:

“for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes”
“next store” instead of “next door”
“past time” instead of “pastime”
“mizzled” instead of “misled” (i.e. mis-led)