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:
Play it by year
or
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”.
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…
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.
OK, well I guess its settled. I cant argue with a Google search.
It is going to be tough conceding defeat to my aforementioned colleague. My reputation as the English Expert(tongue in cheek) is shot
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
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.
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]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?
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…
I will sum this mis-interpretation up to my naivete and my father’s shitty cassette recording.
Great song nonetheless
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.
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.
“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)