Can anyone tell me what does "play by play" mean?
I have heard it a couple of times in a movie called "13 going on 30".
Thanks for your help.
I have heard it a couple of times in a movie called "13 going on 30".
Thanks for your help.
play by play
Play-by-play is a term used in sports journalism. In sports, a play is a single event in the action. Some sports, such as American football, have very sharply defined plays, with a set beginning and ending. For others, such as soccer, the plays are less easily defined and the term may not be used as much.
There are normally at least two commentators on a TV or radio sports broadcast: the play-by-play man and the color commentator. The play by play man is in charge of describing the action as it occurs, while the color commentator adds more details or calls the attention of the audience to a specific detail during a lull in the action. If your familiar with the famous broadcasters Pat Summerall and John Madden, Summerall did play-by-play and Madden did color commentary.
Play-by-play is used in every day conversation to mean a chronological description of an event. For example, I could give you a play by play of a party I went to (I got there at about 9, and there weren't many people there yet, so I played a couple of games of pool with Joe. Then, Sandra arrived, so...etc.).
There are normally at least two commentators on a TV or radio sports broadcast: the play-by-play man and the color commentator. The play by play man is in charge of describing the action as it occurs, while the color commentator adds more details or calls the attention of the audience to a specific detail during a lull in the action. If your familiar with the famous broadcasters Pat Summerall and John Madden, Summerall did play-by-play and Madden did color commentary.
Play-by-play is used in every day conversation to mean a chronological description of an event. For example, I could give you a play by play of a party I went to (I got there at about 9, and there weren't many people there yet, so I played a couple of games of pool with Joe. Then, Sandra arrived, so...etc.).
Mark, A big thanks to you for your explanation. Your last paragraph was a great help. It is a similar expression when people say they can tell something "word-by-word". So play-by-play is a complete description of an event. For example, I could give you a play by play of my gf whom I met at a bus stop and had fallen with her. She was wearing a red dress and black sunglasses. She and I got on the same bus and had sat next to each other and discussed many trivial things together as strangers. She gave me her phone number and I gave her mine...
Do you think now I get the real meaning of the expression?
Do you think now I get the real meaning of the expression?