If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)

Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Settle an old debate

sterculelum · 2007-02-22 20:44:49

After much argument, I'll ask here. When saying "Oh, we'll take things as they come", is the phrase "Play it by year" or "Play it by ear". I know the latter applies when talking about music, but I always thought it was "year" when you're talking about events and stuff. I was shocked to think anyone thought otherwise, and…

22-02-2007 9:44pm

#1

sterculelum

Closed Accounts Posts: 629 ✭✭✭

Join Date: July 2005

Posts: 545

After much argument, I'll ask here.

When saying "Oh, we'll take things as they come", is the phrase "Play it by year" or "Play it by ear". I know the latter applies when talking about music, but I always thought it was "year" when you're talking about events and stuff.

I was shocked to think anyone thought otherwise, and it seems most people do. Are they all wrong?

0

Comments

#2 22-02-2007 9:46pm

aidan_walsh

Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: February 2003

Posts: 15589

It's "ear".

0
#3 22-02-2007 9:58pm

sterculelum

Closed Accounts Posts: 629 ✭✭✭

Join Date: July 2005

Posts: 545

I beg to differ. If it's "year", then it's like a pun on "play it by ear" because it's time based and stuff. I'm nearly sure I heard it for years.

On the same note, is it "commoner gardener" or "common or garden", as in "mediocre"? I saw the second one written a while ago and was like wtf??

0
#4 22-02-2007 9:59pm

Guy:Incognito

Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: February 2003

Posts: 37743

ear. (no Y)

Common or garden (no ER)

0
#5 22-02-2007 10:00pm

Alkers

Registered Users Posts: 6,811 ✭✭✭

Join Date: May 2004

Posts: 6405

aidan_walsh wrote:

It's "ear".

+1

0
#6 22-02-2007 10:01pm

sterculelum

Closed Accounts Posts: 629 ✭✭✭

Join Date: July 2005

Posts: 545

Well I'll be...

I'm still going to campaign for the next generation to change to "year". It's cleverer, if anything.

0
Advertisement
#7 22-02-2007 10:10pm

simu

Closed Accounts Posts: 10,730 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: April 2003

Posts: 10119

lol

For years I thought it was "cardinal copy", not "carbon copy"!

0
#8 22-02-2007 10:45pm

Talliesin

Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭

Join Date: January 1970

Posts: 9069

sterculelum wrote:

Well I'll be...

I'm still going to campaign for the next generation to change to "year". It's cleverer, if anything.

Yes. Your random gibberish is much better than the clearly understood analogy in common usage.

You lost the game at trying to convince us you believed this and believed the phrase was "commoner gardener". You should have just stuck with one funny story, but you got greedy.

0
#9 22-02-2007 10:48pm

Saruman

Registered Users Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: October 2001

Posts: 10728

Different people hear different things Look at music! I have missheard so many lyrics. Mostly Michael Jackson ones such as "Dont go around breaking little girls hearts" i still hear sometimes as "Dont go around making little girls hot"

Also from Billy Jean... "she's just a girl that thinks that i am the one, but the kid is not my son" I hear as "she's just a girl that thinks that i am the one, Be jealous not my son"

0
#10 22-02-2007 11:05pm

shamblertine

Closed Accounts Posts: 888 ✭✭✭

Join Date: November 2006

Posts: 742

I always thought it was year too. It just makes more sense to me. Play it by year /ear is taken to mean we'll take things as they come or we'll deal with things when they happen etc. Year is a period of time which makes sense for this meaning, ear is just a body part which doesn't make sense

0
#11 22-02-2007 11:09pm

Silverfish

Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: June 2002

Posts: 15149

Play it by Ear

0
Advertisement
#12 22-02-2007 11:09pm

brianthebard

Closed Accounts Posts: 16,165 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: October 2004

Posts: 15335

shamblertine wrote:

I always thought it was year too. It just makes more sense to me. Play it by year /ear is taken to mean we'll take things as they come or we'll deal with things when they happen etc. Year is a period of time which makes sense for this meaning, ear is just a body part which doesn't make sense

Well if you take a second to think about it, and realise that "play it by ear" refers to musicians picking up a tune without looking at the notation, but listening to it and then "Playing it by ear", then it will probably start to make some sense...

0
#13 22-02-2007 11:11pm

sterculelum

Closed Accounts Posts: 629 ✭✭✭

Join Date: July 2005

Posts: 545

Talliesin wrote:

Yes. Your random gibberish is much better than the clearly understood analogy in common usage.

You lost the game at trying to convince us you believed this and believed the phrase was "commoner gardener". You should have just stuck with one funny story, but you got greedy.

No I swear to God. I thought "commoner gardener" meant like "even the gardener would use it"... That's the truth. It never occurred to me it might be something else. I'll concede defeat on that one, but not "year".

0
#14 22-02-2007 11:17pm

super_furry

Registered Users Posts: 27,321 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: November 2001

Posts: 26733

It's ear and common or garden.

0
#15 22-02-2007 11:19pm

tSubh Dearg

Hosted Moderators Posts: 5,555 ✭✭✭

Join Date: January 2005

Posts: 4986

It's "play it by ear" refering to improvising music, just playing along with other musicians.

"common or garden" is the other. A sentence with it would be "it's your common or garden snail rather than one of your fancy exotic ones."

0
#16 22-02-2007 11:24pm

Steven

Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭

Join Date: December 1999

Posts: 1205

Idiom: play it by ear

colloq
To act without a fixed plan, according to the situation that arises.

It came about from musicians attempting to play along with songs without knowing them or having sheet music. It is not "year".

0
#17 22-02-2007 11:29pm

Talliesin

Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭

Join Date: January 1970

Posts: 9069

sterculelum wrote:

No I swear to God. I thought "commoner gardener" meant like "even the gardener would use it"... That's the truth. It never occurred to me it might be something else.

Compare with "garden variety". Gardeners aren't particularly common in that sense of the word (I could go all day and not see a single gardener).

sterculelum wrote:

I'll concede defeat on that one, but not "year".

I prefer the traditional version that makes sense.

0
#18 23-02-2007 12:04am

Pherekydes

Registered Users Posts: 16,109 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: May 2003

Posts: 15876

sterculelum wrote:

After much argument, I'll ask here.

When saying "Oh, we'll take things as they come", is the phrase "Play it by year" or "Play it by ear". I know the latter applies when talking about music, but I always thought it was "year" when you're talking about events and stuff.

I was shocked to think anyone thought otherwise, and it seems most people do. Are they all wrong?

Ok, Mrs Malaprop, is it 'window sill' or 'window still'?

0
#19 23-02-2007 12:10am

Futureman

Closed Accounts Posts: 178 ✭✭

Join Date: January 2007

Posts: 171

Slow coach wrote:

Ok, Mrs Malaprop, is it 'window sill' or 'window still'?

Sill.

And it's "I couldn't care less".

0
#20 23-02-2007 12:14am

connundrum

Registered Users Posts: 5,563 ✭✭✭

Join Date: November 2005

Posts: 5138

Slow coach wrote:

'window sill'

Noun: Get off that window sill or I'll beat you with yonder stick.

Slow coach wrote:

'window still'

Noun: Still, as in photography terms. Look at this window still I took earlier.

And its 'ear'.

0
#21 23-02-2007 12:20am

Terry

Registered Users Posts: 26,061 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: September 2004

Posts: 24892

Futureman wrote:

Sill.

And it's "I couldn't care less".

Have you seen the Spell Czechs forum?

0
Advertisement
#22 23-02-2007 12:32am

Futureman

Closed Accounts Posts: 178 ✭✭

Join Date: January 2007

Posts: 171

Terry wrote:

Have you seen the Spell Czechs forum?

??? hey?

I wasn't correcting anyone - I was adding another 'common misconception' into the topic!

And I seem to be banned from that forum you posted - wierd, since I've never been on it before!

0
#23 23-02-2007 12:35am

Pherekydes

Registered Users Posts: 16,109 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: May 2003

Posts: 15876

It's a private forum, futureman. And we need new talent like yourself.

And thanks for spoiling the 'window sill/still' poser for the OP. I wanted to check something out...

0
#24 23-02-2007 12:41am

Talliesin

Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭

Join Date: January 1970

Posts: 9069

Slow coach wrote:

Ok, Mrs Malaprop,

They moved from malaprop to mumpsimus at their second post.

0
#25 23-02-2007 12:47am

connundrum

Registered Users Posts: 5,563 ✭✭✭

Join Date: November 2005

Posts: 5138

Slow coach wrote:

I wanted to check something out...

0
#26 23-02-2007 12:50am

5starpool

Subscribers Posts: 32,846 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: September 2005

Posts: 32429

I have never heard the phrase 'Common or Garden'. Is it a Dublinism?

On another note when I was young (around 6 and under) I used to think it was 'Pleased to meet you' instead of 'Peace be with you' whne the hand shaking started at mass. Made sense to me at the time. Still does actually.

0
#27 23-02-2007 12:51am

biko

Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: July 2005

Posts: 75625

The phrase by ear goes back a long way in a figurative sense. It’s a metonym, the substitution of a word by another with which it is closely associated.

It’s in much the same style as Antony’s speech in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears”. He meant this figuratively, asking his audience to lend him the thing their ears contained, their function — in other words to listen to him, to hear him out. In phrases like by ear the process is taken one stage further: not merely the function of hearing but also being able to accurately reproduce a melody one has heard, without needing written music. So we have phrases like he has a good ear for music and she can play anything by ear.

The saying has been taken yet another step further away from anything literal when people use it to mean doing something in an extempore way, without planning, according to circumstances as they arise.

0
#28 23-02-2007 12:51am

Pherekydes

Registered Users Posts: 16,109 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: May 2003

Posts: 15876

connundrum wrote:

Ok, ok, I wanted to have a good laugh at the OP's expense. I'm a sadist, but I thought he was trolling.

0
#29 23-02-2007 12:54am

brianthebard

Closed Accounts Posts: 16,165 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: October 2004

Posts: 15335

5starpool wrote:

I have never heard the phrase 'Common or Garden'. Is it a Dublinism?

On another note when I was young (around 6 and under) I used to think it was 'Pleased to meet you' instead of 'Peace be with you' whne the hand shaking started at mass. Made sense to me at the time. Still does actually.

Not its definitely not an Dublin phrase, its predominantly British though, I rarely hear Irish people in general use it tbh.

Lolz @please to meet you. A couple of times when I wasn't paying attention and getting communion I have said "Thanks" instead of "Amen".
I'm such a rebel.

0
#30 23-02-2007 12:59am

biko

Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: July 2005

Posts: 75625

I say commoner all the time "Look at the commoners they let in here. Sharon, let's go!"

0
Advertisement
#31 23-02-2007 1:14am

Giblet

Registered Users Posts: 11,977 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: October 2001

Posts: 11368

This is nearly as bad as someone saying "For all intensive purposes!"

0