ad hoc vs by ear

ad hoc

adv
  • On the spur of the moment. 

  • For a particular purpose. 

adj
  • Created on the spur of the moment; impromptu. 

  • Independent of previously instated network structure, like routers or access points. 

  • For a particular purpose. 

  • Postulated solely to save a theory from being falsified, without making any new predictions. 

by ear

prep
  • To do by guessing, to improvise. 

  • To play (an instrument) or sing or to learn music without reading or memorizing sheet music; to learn a language without instruction. 

How often have the words ad hoc and by ear occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )