Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

play it pear-shaped

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.42 in modern English

Syllables: play it -pear-shaped
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

3

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To avoid committing oneself to a single course of action; to go with the flow, take it easy.

Dated

Example Sentences

"I thought I'd play it pear-shaped with the Borough Engineer and asked him whose property it was anyway when it was in my garden — if the Council put it there enough times, it meant they were trying to get rid of it even though they didn't own it."
""Playing it pear-shaped" was a favourite expression of Jock's; it seemed to mean deftly turning a situation to one's own advantage; seizing a favorable opportunity: Boxing Clever."
"When their plans were going awry, Wattis soothed them by saying they were going to "play it pear-shaped" (ie it would all go smoothly)."

Etymology

Compare go pear-shaped (“to go awry; to go wrong”), attested somewhat later.

Usage

Dated

Inflected Forms

plays it pear-shaped (present, singular) playing it pear-shaped (participle, present) played it pear-shaped (participle, past) played it pear-shaped (past)

Questions

What does play it pear-shaped mean?: To avoid committing oneself to a single course of action; to go with the flow, take it easy.
Where does play it pear-shaped come from?: Compare go pear-shaped (“to go awry; to go wrong”), attested somewhat later.

How to pronounce play it pear-shaped

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