Timeline for Is "to watch for something" the counterpart of "to listen for something"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
6 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| May 8, 2022 at 12:57 | comment | added | Michael Harvey | Maybe mainly American but I use it in the UK and so do people I know. I was playing with the sound off, you see, to listen for a phone call.; The SETI Institute are the ones listening for a phone call from ET; American scientists are pointing huge radio telescopes at the stars listening for a phone call from far-off civilizations; listening for a phone call while in the shower; go to sleep listening for a phone call to dash back (last one from UK Sunday Times) | |
| May 8, 2022 at 12:44 | comment | added | Steve Ives | @MichaelHarvey Yep, but English doesn’t work that way. Just because you listen for the door bell doesn’t mean you listen for a phone call. You get on a train but you get in a dinghy. As I said, you might use “listen for a phone call” where you live but I’ve never heard it in any part of the UK nor can find any reference to it in any written text. | |
| May 7, 2022 at 11:43 | comment | added | Michael Harvey | Listen [out] for a knock on the door, one might say implying (e.g.) don't put your headphones on/listen to heavy metal at volume level 11/etc. I am UK based. | |
| May 7, 2022 at 9:32 | comment | added | Steve Ives | That must be a very localised, regional thing - I've never heard it used. | |
| May 6, 2022 at 15:12 | comment | added | Michael Harvey | Where I live it would be very common for someone to say 'I have to listen for the call (or 'a call') meaning I want to be able to hear the phone when it rings. This is probably more used about fixed landline phones that you can't put in your pocket. | |
| May 6, 2022 at 14:36 | history | answered | Steve Ives | CC BY-SA 4.0 |