Play it by Ear
What it means
Decide what to do as you go, rather than settling on a plan in advance.
Where it comes from
A musician playing by ear works without sheet music, following whatever sounds right. The phrase moved across to plans in the twentieth century, keeping the idea of no written part to follow.
The puzzle it came from
Play it by Ear was the answer to the Phrasicle of August 5, 2025. The clue read ____ it by ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.
Play today's Phrasicle Play the August 5, 2025 puzzle
Show the solved grid (this spoils the August 5, 2025 puzzle)
dollar
store
credit
score
board
desert
sand
storm
cloud
storage
red
cross
word
play
ground
rabbit
ear
drum
beat
down
Phrasicle: Play it by Ear