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Phrases related to: play it by ear Page #4

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play the hand one is dealtTo use the resources which one actually has available; to operate realistically, within the limits of one's circumstances.Rate it:

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play the man and not the ballTo attack an opponent instead of attacking the ball, which is usually being controlled by the attacked player at the time.Rate it:

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play the man and not the ballTo object to someone's argument by attacking them or a facet of their personality instead of the argument itself; to make an ad hominem attack.Rate it:

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play the poniesTo bet on horse racing.Rate it:

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play the race cardDonald A. Carson, Love in Hard Places p.94.Rate it:

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play the race cardTo assert that race or racism is responsible for a course of events, especially when race is not of particular significance to the issue in question; to attempt to inspire a particular reaction by raising the issue of race.Rate it:

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play the same tapeTo repeat exactly what one previously said or did.Rate it:

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play to the crowdTo appeal to the least sophisticated parts of an audience in order to obtain maximum approval.Rate it:

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play to the galleryTo appeal to the least sophisticated parts of an audience in order to obtain maximum approval.Rate it:

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play well with othersTo habitually demonstrate social skills by engaging agreeably in social or work activities.Rate it:

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play withUsed other than as an idiom: play with.Rate it:

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play withTo fiddle with; make small adjustments to, for example to something mechanical in order to improve its performance.Rate it:

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play withTo trick.Rate it:

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play withTo sexually stimulate the genitals.Rate it:

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play with a full deckTo play a game with the availability of a team's full roster of players.Rate it:

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play with a full deckTo behave in a manner suggesting that one is of normal intelligence, alert, and mentally stable.Rate it:

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play with fireTo put oneself in a precarious situation with a high risk of getting harmed, particularly emotionally or financially.Rate it:

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play with oneselfTo masturbate.Rate it:

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rain stopped playThe cessation of an activity or operation due to rain.Rate it:

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run of playA passage of play; a series of consecutive moments, considered as a whole.Rate it:

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turnabout is fair playIt is allowable to retaliate against an enemy's dirty tricks by using the same ones against him.Rate it:

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two can play at that gameAlternative form of two can play that gameRate it:

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two can play this gameAlternative form of two can play that gameRate it:

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when the cat's away the mice will playIn the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.Rate it:

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word playUsed other than as an idiom: see word, play.Rate it:

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word playA technique in which the nature of the words used become part of the subject of the work, such as puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, and telling character names.Rate it:

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break a leg!This is a common English phrase that is used to wish someone good luck before they perform in a play or other event.Rate it:

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game outTo run through scenarios to determine what will happen given certain decisions; to play out possibilities; to examine several ideas to come up with their likeliest end results.Rate it:

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Tinker to Evers to ChanceA famous baseball infield double-play combination.Rate it:

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act as tourch bearerWhen someone play significant role in others lifeRate it:

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horse aroundTo play or fiddle; to clown; to do nothing of importance or consequence.Rate it:

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short-sheetTo play a prank by folding someone's bed sheets to make the space for lying in the bed unusably short.Rate it:

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toy withPlay, esp. with or as with a toy.Rate it:

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act outTo go through the process of a scene from a play, a charade or a pointless exercise.Rate it:

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ante upTo pay a fee necessary to play a game, typically a card gameRate it:

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bunk offTo play truant.Rate it:

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game outTo play games to such an excessive degree that one is unwilling to play more.Rate it:

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home teamThe team that's playing in the usual area that they play in, as opposed to the visitor team.Rate it:

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mess aroundTo joke, kid, or play.Rate it:

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airmailTo throw the ball well over a fielder's head where that fielder is unable to make a play on the ball.Rate it:

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jouer la belleTo play the rubber (or third game, to see which of the players is the conqueror).Rate it:

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put onTo play recorded music.Rate it:

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deadNot in play.Rate it:

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fresh legsSomebody who has yet to play in a match, and therefore has plenty of energy.Rate it:

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lead the lineTo play as centre forward.Rate it:

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Pull the Wool over Your EyesTo play trick with someone making him or her fool, to deceive or cheat someoneRate it:

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à vous le déIt is your turn to play (at dice). [See Avoir.]Rate it:

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absent le chat, les souris dansentwhen the cat's away the mice will playRate it:

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all the world's a stagePeople have roles to play in life just as actors do in the theatre.Rate it:

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aures claudere, patefacere (e.g. veritati, assentatoribus)to turn a deaf ear to, to open one's ears to...Rate it:

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