play the field

Idioms  

1. Date more than one person; avoid an exclusive commitment. For example, All of Joe's friends are married now, but he continues to play the field. This term originated in British horseracing, where it meant “to bet on every horse in a race except the favorite.” It was transferred to other activities about 1930.

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Example Sentences

Lesh persuaded his parents to let him learn to play the violin, eventually abandoning the instrument in his early teens.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2024

Dagmar Turner's operation in London in January 2020 was planned so that her ability to play the violin would not be impaired as a result of the surgery.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2023

I got it from my dad because he taught me how to play the violin and make one note with the bow, you know?

From Seattle Times • Jun. 16, 2023

“If we’d had a pitch clock my entire career,” Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts told me Sunday, “I might have learned how to play the violin by now.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 27, 2023

“Yeah,” I said, watching the kid play the violin.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez