Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Play it by ear
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Play it by ear" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourProblem Solving & Interaction collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Play it by ear
To deal with a situation spontaneously or improvise as it develops, rather than following a strict, pre-arranged plan.
History & Origin
The phrase originates from the world of music, appearing in the 19th century to describe musicians who could play a piece of music entirely from memory or by simply listening to the melody, without reading written sheet music. Over time, the expression expanded beyond musical contexts in the mid-20th century to describe anyone handling a fluid, unplanned situation in daily life.
Examples
We don't have a fixed itinerary for our road trip tomorrow, so let's just drive toward the coast and play it by ear.
Since the client hasn't confirmed their arrival time yet, let's play it by ear and schedule our internal review whenever they land.
With fluctuating market conditions ahead of the election, economic analysts suggest that foreign investors are choosing to play it by ear.
While structural preparations are essential for community defense, our emergency response team must remain flexible enough to play it by ear as the weather patterns shift.
In unpredictable ethnographic field research, investigators frequently must play it by ear when structural societal changes alter environmental variables mid-study.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. The surgeon decided to play it by ear and read the patient's medical history manual halfway through the operation.
B. Since we haven't booked a specific restaurant for tonight, let's just head downtown and play it by ear.
C. She practiced the piano meticulously for months so that she could play it by ear exactly as the sheet music dictated.
D. To solve the complex calculus formula, you must play it by ear and follow the strict step-by-step mathematical laws.