play-by-playadv.adj.n.

1889 Boston Herald 19 June 5/4 In enabling base ball infatuated Bostonians to follow play by play the games of the club abroad, the bulletin board certainly justifies the high degree of popular favor with which it has been received.

1905 Chicago Tribune 17 Nov. 6/3 The Ann Arbor struggle will be portrayed..play by play on a scoreboard.

1921 R. C. Benchley Of All Things xvi. 142 The twice 50,000 all over the country..who watched the same game over the ticker, or sat in a smoke-fogged room listening to telegraphic announcements, play by play.

1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 19 Aug. e1 The voice of Harry Heilman blared out all over the block, describing, play by play, the fate of our beloved Tigers as they battled in Briggs Stadium.

1990 N.Y. Times Mag. 19 Aug. 39/5 Often, announcers say, calling the big moment is a matter of perspective, the kind that comes from proceeding professionally play by play.

1908 Washington Times 11 Oct. 1/3 (headline) Play by play account of first battle in World Series.

1927 Amer. Speech 2 241/2 The football extra, containing a ‘play by play’ story of all but the last few minutes, is locked on the press with a hole left in the plate.

1947 New Yorker 16 Aug. 28 (cartoon caption) The touring guests who spend all their time giving a play-by-play account of where they've been and where they're going.

1976 Times Lit. Suppl. 2 Jan. 13/3 The bulk of the book is given over to what looks like a play-by-play account of Hegel's thought.

1993 Maclean's Apr. 26 34/2 Dick Irvin, a Canadiens play-by-play broadcaster, has visited Pittsburgh annually since the early 1970s.

2000 Time 21 Feb. 94/1 The new..digital technology will allow you to remain focussed on any player..without the constant interruption of superfluous play-by-play coverage.

1909 Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer 20 June d10/8 The Paragon score board will show the play by play at the Grays' armory today on the two games at Chicago.

1932 N.Y. Herald Tribune 24 Aug. 15/2 To loll here every afternoon And listen to the play-by-play.

1962 Los Angeles Times 14 Apr. iii. 3/1 Chick will provide the play-by-play during the Lakers-Celtic encounter at Boston.

1966 J. Ball Cool Cottontail x. 101 He turned on the radio and listened to a play-by-play of the California Angels.

1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 17 June 1- h/4 Announcers Lane Saunders and Bernie Lustig will provide the color and play-by-play, and a variety of guests will be lined up for half-time interviews.

1979 D. Anthony Long Hard Cure ix. 89 I began giving him a play by play of the events of Friday night.

1989 W. Houston Inside Maple Leaf Gardens ii. 17 Soon Hewitt's play-by-play of the Leaf games was broadcast every Saturday night.

1994 T. Clancy Debt of Honor xxviii. 441 All the economics professors doing the play-by-play, along with a senior banker for color commentary.

2004 N. Wiswanathan Street Law ii. 83 He was in the cathedral and giving the play by play via cell phone.