Question

in_the_loop_564 to go along with a situation as it develops before deciding what to do; to do something without prior planning Compare to: wing it; by the seat of (one’s) pants

Accepted Answer

PLAY IT BY EAR Let’s get in the car and go for a drive. We don’t have to decide before we start where we’re going; let’s just play it by ear.I’m going to watch to see how the situation develops and decide what to do as I go along. I want to play it by ear and see what happens. The expression probably originates from the idea of playing a piece of music by ear, i.e., not reading the music as one plays but simply listening to the piece, picking out the notes by ear and then playing it.

Id	in_the_loop_564
Idiom	PLAY IT BY EAR
Definition	to go along with a situation as it develops before deciding what to do; to do something without prior planning
Examples	Let’s get in the car and go for a drive. We don’t have to decide before we start where we’re going; let’s just play it by ear. I’m going to watch to see how the situation develops and decide what to do as I go along. I want to play it by ear and see what happens.
Cross-Refs	Compare to: wing it; by the seat of (one’s) pants
Extra Info	The expression probably originates from the idea of playing a piece of music by ear, i.e., not reading the music as one plays but simply listening to the piece, picking out the notes by ear and then playing it.

Ear Play Situation Develops Let’s Decide I Playing