tune (redirected from Out of Tune)

call the shots/tune

to be the person who makes all the important decisions and who has the most power in a situation. She was used to calling the shots, to being in charge.

See also: call, shot

change your tune

to change your opinion completely, especially because you know it will bring you an advantage. He was against the idea to start with, but he soon changed his tune when I told him how much money he'd get out of it.

See also: change

dance to someone's tune

to always do what someone tells you to do, whether you agree with it or not. Powerful local residents seem to have the council dancing to their tune.

See also: dance

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

something that you say which means that the person who provides the money for something can decide how it should be done. You may not agree with Mr Brown but he funded this venture, and he who pays the piper calls the tune.

See also: call, pay, piper, who

march to a different drummer (mainly American, British)

to behave in a different way or to believe in different things from the people around you. While most of the country supported military action, Santini was marching to a different drummer.

See also: different, march

sing the same tune (British, American & Australian, British)

if a group of people sing the same tune, they say the same things about a subject in public. I want to make sure we're all singing the same tune before we give any interviews to the newspapers. (usually in continuous tenses)

See also: same, sing

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call the tune

to have the most power and authority in a situation. In this part of the mortgage market, the banks call the tune.

run the show

call the shots

See also: call

carry a tune

to be able to sing accurately. For such a complicated song they should at least find someone who can carry a tune.

See also: carry

change your tune

to change your opinion completely. They'll change their tune when they see that their advice is making people angry with them.

See also: change

dance to someone's tune

to always obey someone who has power over you. Powerful local residents seem to have the city council dancing to their tune. In the future, people will ask why we danced to the tunes of this president.

See also: dance

in tune (with someone/something)

having a good understanding of someone or something. Carl was thoroughly in tune with new developments in art. He's more in tune with his players today because he's seeking out their opinions.

march to a different drummer

to be different from other people. As long as the schools that are marching to a different drummer just serve poor kids, no one really cares how they try to teach their students.

See also: different, march

to the tune of something

in the approximate amount mentioned. We're in debt to the tune of $50,000.

Usage notes: usually used with amounts of money, as in the example.

tune in (to something)

to turn on and watch or listen to television or radio. Millions of viewers tuned in, hoping to learn more about the princess's death. We usually tune into the morning news when we wake up.

tune out (someone/something)

to stop paying attention to someone or something. Beverly always tunes out in the middle of her music lesson. He's been tuning me out ever since I tried to talk to him about his drinking.

tune up (for something)

to prepare for something. The coach feels confident that the team is tuned up for tonight's game.

tune up something

to adjust an engine or vehicle so that it works as well as possible. I haven't tuned up my car in two years. The motorcycle isn't running right, but she can't afford to tune it up.

tuned in (to someone/something)

very aware of someone or something so that you understand them well. She's tuned in to all the latest fashions. Our staff are trained to be tuned into the needs of children.