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I recently overheard the phrase, "call an audible" and mentally likened it to, "play it by ear." But when I went to look it up, I discovered that the general consensus is that the former hails from (American) football, whereas the latter takes its cue from music. Surely two such similar phrases have common etymology! Alas, I cannot find any evidence of it on the Internet. Does anyone here? |
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Nope, not related. "Call an audible" is a term from American Football. It refers to the Quarterback changing the play at the last minute based on how he sees the defense lining up. He will call out the play change vocally to his team-mates while they are already lined up for the play. So it might be used to mean "make a change at the last minute." "Play it by ear" is a musical phrase that contrasts against reading from sheet music, so might be used where there is no plan, just acting based on the dynamics of the situation. But they are used in similar situations when used colloquially. Another synonyms would be "fly by the seat of your pants" |
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