A quiet notice V2Melody closes at midnight on , Spanish time.

Closes

A note from Richard

V2Melody will close at midnight on 20 January 2028

This site has been a retirement project in musical poetry: poems chosen with care and set to music, offered freely for as long as it felt right to keep the garden open.

The work no longer holds the place it once did in my life. I have gone as far with it as I wish to go. Like a sand mandala, it was made to be completed and then released. I am not attached to its permanence, and I do not believe any of it needs to last beyond the time it was given.

I want a simpler life, without the hassle of being online. The work of maintaining a server, the monitoring, and the residual obligations that come with keeping a site alive no longer fit the life I want.

From 4 November 2026 I will not be adding new poems or musical poems to the site.

Until midnight on 20 January 2028, Spanish time, everything remains available exactly as it is. That is when my VPS server contract comes to an end, and it will not be renewed. After that, the server will be switched off and the site will disappear.

Thank you to anyone who found a poem, a track, or a quiet moment here.

The pleasure was in the making.

Richard

Home › Glossary › Letter P

Play fast and loose

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To behave irresponsibly or unreliably, especially regarding commitments; implies treating obligations casually, changing positions frequently, or acting without consistent principles or dedication.

Detailed Definition
Play fast and loose means to behave irresponsibly, deceitfully, or recklessly with rules, promises, facts, or feelings. In poetry, the idiom can expose moral carelessness in love, politics, business, or speech. It suggests someone changing position whenever convenient, treating truth or loyalty as a game. The phrase is useful in satire and dramatic monologue, especially where a charming speaker proves unreliable. Poets can use it to explore betrayal, instability, and the damage done when freedom becomes manipulation.
Example
Example in poetry:
A moral poem might condemn the trader who plays fast and loose with widows' savings; In a love lyric, the speaker fears a lover who plays fast and loose with vows; The phrase means to behave irresponsibly or dishonestly; A poet can use it for betrayal and instability.
Additional Notes
Play fast and loose means behave irresponsibly, deceitfully, or carelessly with rules, truth, feelings, or commitments. In poetry, it can criticise unreliable lovers, politicians, gamblers, artists, or speakers. The paired adjectives suggest speed and looseness as moral instability. Students should ask what is being treated casually: language, promises, evidence, or another person’s trust. The phrase is useful for exploring ethical looseness in speech and action.
Also Known As
Fast and loose Bend the rules
Skip to main content