Play it by?

[Jerry The Saint]

Most annoying one for me was when I was working in a Gaeltacht when I was 17 as an assistant. All the other assistants were a year or two older and we were putting together a quiz for the pupils.

We wanted to include some easy questions so we decided to include "How many states are in the United States of America?"

Then all of these eejits started saying there were 52 because of Alaska and Hawaii. I pointed out that they were wrong and that the correct answer is 50.

We kept this up and I even said I'd get an atlas that was only a few rooms away and they said no.

Thankfully we had to cancel the quiz for an unrelated reason.

I've even read that in a reference book:rolleyes: It's either 50 + Alaska/Hawaii :eek: or they've bypassed the US constitution and all judicial/legislative bodies and made DC and Puerto Rico states just for the hell of it.:)

[Wolfie]

Wow - how to remove any shred of your credibility in two successive posts!

It's "play by ear", end of story. And "proof" in that context means to test - i.e. the test of how good the pudding is comes when you eat it and find out (and by extension, the test of how good anything is comes when you try it). Just as "the exception that proves the rule" means the exception that tests the rule - if a rule stands up to even strange anomolies, it's probably accurate.


:D

There's no way that's a serious post!!

It's "Play it by ear" without any shred of doubt.

"Play it by year" - that's just para-phrasing a Johnny Logan Eurovision song isn't it?

I know of an alternative version that I hear from time to time - "Play it by Beer".

As in Q "What boozers are we headin to later?"

A: "Lets just Play it by Beer". :)

[paul_oshea]

i read you wrong, sorry. it was a long bus ride

no you didn't there was no way to read that wrong, you just didnt know.

[strangeirish]

Speaking of Americans, a lot will say 'pacific' instead of 'specific'.:rolleyes: Must be the accent.

[paul_oshea]

strangeone, i remember that before was this on a thread here sometime ago? someone has definately mentioned that before.

[tricky_colour]

Speaking of Americans, a lot will say 'pacific' instead of 'specific'.:rolleyes: Must be the accent.

They are just being adlantic.

[osarusan]

my own favourites..............."literally"

I was literally starving.

She literally cried her eyes out.

and of course...........very unique.

this is a very unique opportunity.

oh dear!

[finlma]

People who say "pacific" instead of "specific" or people who say "patren" instead of "pattern" bug me no end. Learn the language properly.

I have a friend who calls a bannister a balister and insists that he is right.

[Schumi]

'one of the only' is another good one. "He's one of the only people who could do that." :rolleyes:

[BohsPartisan]

Often heard on the train in the mornings - "We are now arriving at Dublin Connolly. This is the LAST and FINAL stop"!

[GavinZac]

no you didn't there was no way to read that wrong, you just didnt know.
Are you calling me a liar then? He said something about "50 states plus Alaska and Hawaii" which i half read, which I'd have thought would be understandable having been awake around 30 hours to and from Belfast. Obviously though, you've decided you of know my propensity to lie and my lack of geographical pointless info... which given your obvious gift for spotting these sort of things, you should really tell "micls" because shes under the impression that i'm a sad git who knows far too much useless information... speaking of which...


gav, i always thought it as, dont make a judgement/decision just yet/too hastily or just way to see out it pans out or just way to see what happens from what you (h)ear etc etc....which doesnt really make any reference to the idea of playing a song by ear i.e. no musical sheets. i am open to your suggestion though.
The phrase comes from music, with the reasoning I explained. You don't usually "play" a judgment. I know what the phrase is used for in everyday English, thank you. Phrases usually have specialised meanings which catch on in general use until eventually people don't even question them any more, e.g.:

"Cut to the chase" - film (chase scenes were, and are, favoured moments of action movies. in the days before speech when a child-packed audience didn't care about plot scenes and was getting restless, hosts would swap in the chase reel of the film.)
"on the fly" - flight (pilots have given us plenty of phrases and this is one - it is deviating from the planned flight path, "on the fly(ight)")
"cut the mustar(d)" - military (at muster, troops are inspected by commanders. not making the cut in a muster is a mark of disgrace for an unfit soldier.)
"the third degree" - masonic (masons are quizzed before achieving the third degree)
"bottom line" - accounting (the last figure is usually denoted by being underlined three times)
"p*ss like a racehorse" - horse training (racehorses are sometimes given diuretics to force them to become dehydrated and lose weight)
"look a gift horse in the mouth" - horse trading (the older a horse is, the further its gums shrink back from its teeth)

[osarusan]

"He's a young twenty-year old"

[strangeirish]

and of course...........very unique.
this is a very unique opportunity.
oh dear!
Kind of like 'How do you catch a unique rabbit?'.
Unique up on him.:D

[noby]

People who say "pacific" instead of "specific" or people who say "patren" instead of "pattern" bug me no end. Learn the language properly.

I have a friend who calls a bannister a balister and insists that he is right.
The bannister is the hand rail. The baluster is the vertical support. Your friend may not be that wrong.

[paul_oshea]

does anyone know where sideburns came from? well ill tell ye, the term is a corruption of Ae Burnside, a union general in the US Civil War. He was more famed for his distinguishing whiskers than his abillities on the battlefield. the term burnsides was originally used but 10 years later it inexplicably reversed and was then known as sideburns. :D


I know what the phrase is used for in everyday English, thank you

you are more than welcome. However, I wasn't telling you, I was just making a point. I am pretty confident you knew what context it was used in.

Oh and I was joking saying no you didnt, it was meant in reference to the younger years where one person would say something and then everyone else would say "no you didnt!". I thought from the general stuff I had been saying earlier that would have come across pretty clearly :)

[GavinZac]

Oh and I was joking saying no you didnt, it was meant in reference to the younger years where one person would say something and then everyone else would say "no you didnt!". I thought from the general stuff I had been saying earlier that would have come across pretty clearly

well use one of these :p dammit! :mad: :p

[OwlsFan]

I have also met people who say "pass mustard" instead of "pass muster" :D

[Jerry The Saint]

Ad on the radio at the moment about some newspaper that is more refreshing than an


expresso

The coffee is called espresso - there's no 'X'! :eek:

Although this is a mistake that occurs so often it's probably come to be accepted as a valid pronunciation/spelling of the beverage.

Like with 'nucular' instead of 'nuclear' - if the President of the United States AND Jack Bauer pronounce a word the same way you have to wonder if everyone else should just fall in line. :)

[pineapple stu]

You'd somtimes hear Alex Ferguson referred to as Alec Ferguson, actually.

[paul_oshea]

thats how the scots say it stu ( well the Scots-Scots ;) ).

having said that you often hear alec baldwin.

[Wolfie]

Misinterpreted lyrics of songs can also cause havoc.

Jimi Hendrix famous tune "Purple Haze" has a line:

"Scuse me - while I kiss the sky" .....cue riff.

I read of someone who thought it was "Scuse me - while I kiss this guy" ....cue laughter !!! :D

[pineapple stu]

Was watching University Challenge one time - the question was something like "Complete the following phrase - Oh what a tangled web we weave..." I always thought that was "When first we practice to conceive", until the teams corrected me and gave the answer as "When first we practice to deceive"

Prefer my version though. :)


thats how the scots say it stu
In that case, you often hear Alec Ferguson referred to as Alex Ferguson.

[noby]

Misinterpreted lyrics of songs can also cause havoc.

Jimi Hendrix famous tune "Purple Haze" has a line:

"Scuse me - while I kiss the sky" .....cue riff.

I read of someone who thought it was "Scuse me - while I kiss this guy" ....cue laughter !!! :D
In fairness, even Hendrix played this up, to keep the confusion going.

[noby]

having said that you often hear alec baldwin.

But that is what he abbreviates his name to.

[Jerry The Saint]

But that is what he abbreviates his name to.


Bet it's not what his daughter abbreviates his name to. :)

[noby]

Well, that went over my head anyway.

[BohsPartisan]

In fairness, even Hendrix played this up, to keep the confusion going.

http://www.kissthisguy.com/

[the 12 th man]

I've heard Brake tubes instead of brake shoes,

Karachi instead of Karcher (power washers),

Laxadaisy instead of laxadasical

and Water Lube instead of Auto Lube:D

[finlma]

The coffee is called espresso - there's no 'X'! :eek:


Well spotted Jerry - that add is very annoying. Its for the Clare People - they're a bit slow down there.

Loads of people say expresso.

[First]

[QUOTE=finlma;677726]Well spotted Jerry - that add is very annoying. Its for the Clare People - they're a bit slow down there.

As oppose to the speed of thought that prevails in Galway.
Baby wipe anyone:eek:

[stann]

Karachi instead of Karcher (power washers)

On the subject of mispronouncing foreign names, my mate has a tendancy to rattle them out too quick for his brain, resulting in such gems as Ruud le Tisstelrooy, a bizarre combo of Saint Matt and the horse-faced striker, and the brilliant Zinidane Zidine! :D

[OwlsFan]

Anyone ever encounter "braving the elephants" as opposed to "braving the elements"? I have :D

[paul_oshea]

meant to add this one:

"pass the buck" i always thought this was "pass the book", and here was my logic behind it, which makes a lot of sense too ;), I thought it meant passing the book around, as in you wouldn't take responsibility for reading, you were asked to read out from the book but you wouldn't take the responsibility of reading outloud in front of everyone.....:D

something to do with america im assuming though, is it? around washingtons time i spose? i could google but ill give someone else the chance to prove they know the origins.

[pineapple stu]

Tee hee (http://foot.ie/showpost.php?p=678976&postcount=10)! Not seen this one before.

[tricky_colour]

How about "The Hairy Henry" for Thierry Henry? :D

[pineapple stu]

Reminds me as well - anytime the Beeb have a live game on, turn on the subtitles. It uses some sort of speech recognition thing to decide what the person is saying. In the 2002 World Cup alone, I made a note of these verbal typos (heard one or two, then started keeping track for the first fanzine of the new season) -


Actual Subtitles
Ahn Jung-Hwan Aunt Joan Kwan
Anderlecht And elect
Angelo di Livio Angelo de video
Boo Blue / Broom
Brescia Bresher
Buffon Babbel
Bundesliga Bond a sleek
Darling Vale of a
England are playing 4-4-2 England are playing for 4-2
For the Further
Goalkeeper Golko player
Hong Myung Bo Lead young bloke
How do you feel? Heady feel?
I don’t think he had much choice I don’t Nicky had much tries
Iuliano misses Iuliano Mrs.
Joaquin Joe are keen
Juninho Jimmy neo
Korea Careers / Courier
Korea at the moment Korea at the mermaid
Kuwait Quaid
Lee Joon-Sun Allegiances / The lead tuna soon
Lee Woon-Jae That South Korean goalkeeper
Maldini Muddy / Malady / Mal Beeney
Maldini In mind of Beeney
Mendieta Men DSO
Next to me, a man Next to become a fan
One host is gone One hostess gone
One penalty missed Won penalty mayor’s
Park Ji-Sung Byker Grove
Puyol We’ll
Referees are getting a grip on it Referee’s eye gets a fabric on it
Shirt being pulled Share being called
Side foot Sighed foot
Soel Ki Hyeon Sold Keith Dion
Sven Goran Eriksson Sven at you and Eriksson
There you go There Ugo
Vieri The area
Vieri is a brute of a man Eyrie is a Brit of a man
Was it his thigh? It’s his thigh. Was it high? It’s his five.
Whole back four Hole but four
You see UC
Zanetti Sanity

[CollegeTillIDie]

When the Prodigy brought out Poison, a guy in my school wrote, in very large letters, Poisson on his schoolbag.

Something a bit fishy about that story ;)

[Schumi]

I have another one, I just saw this evening. "lost in the midst of time" instead of "lost in the mists of time".

[Wolfie]

Just heard a Senior Manager referred to as the "Head Nocho". :D

[Jerry The Saint]

One that I saw today - "tubberware" instead of "tupperware". You know, because of the "tubs" :)

[DaveyCakes]

This whole thread is a bit of a damp squid!

[stann]

Did you just post that up off your own back?

[DaveyCakes]

Yes, because i think that others have left themselves down with the quality of their contributions.

[stann]

They have been a bit lacksadaisy, no doubt about it.


:D

[Block G Raptor]

Korea at the moment Korea at the mermaid


That has to have been mark lawrenson

[John83]

People who say "pacific" instead of "specific" or people who say "patren" instead of "pattern" bug me no end. Learn the language properly.

I have a friend who calls a bannister a balister and insists that he is right.
You should emphasis your point next time using a balister, which is a type of cross-bow (from the Latin ballein - 'to throw'). However, he's probably talking about a baluster, which is indeed correct(ish - there's a slight difference not worth discussing).

I find it hard not to snigger when people use 'pacific' for 'specific'. I had a lecturer a few years ago who said it constantly.

[osarusan]

The use of the word "infraction" can get annoying!!

[Calcio Jack]

A favorite amongst Dublin urchins: 'a package of cripps instead' of ' a packet of crisps'

and for the season that's in ' peas on earth to all...' I'll get me coat

[Wolfie]

The next series of something referred to as the next "serious".

[sligoman]

Doing a job yesterday and this wan came up to me talking about it. She then goes, 'It gets very monogamous' instead of monotonous;)