play out, head off, child rearing, keeper of the hearth

 

“I was the housewife, the keeper of the hearth, the primary caregiver,” writes Lynn Messina in Modern Love. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Chained to the Hearth or Warmed by It?

www.nytimes.com

‎My husband, Chris, and I had made a clear agreement regarding child rearing. But reality played out very differently.

As Greek Drama Plays Out, Where Is Europe?
By STEVEN ERLANGER
The inability of European leaders to deal decisively with Greece’s debt crisis has led some to question their abilities.
Euro Rises After I.M.F. Increases Aid Pledge to Greece
By LANDON THOMAS Jr. and NICHOLAS KULISH
European stocks rose modestly and the currency halted its decline Thursday as the fund raced to finish an agreement for austerity measures from Greece.


Europe Acts Swiftly on Long-Delayed Greek Bailout
BY NICHOLAS KULISH and DAN BILEFSKY
European leaders raced to complete a financial rescue package for Greece, hoping to head off a chain reaction against other heavily indebted European nations.


head offBlock the progress or completion of; also, intercept. For example, They worked round the clock to head off the flu epidemic, or Try to head him off before he gets home. [First half of 1800s] This expression gave rise to head someone off at the pass, which in Western films meant "to block someone at a mountain pass." It then became a general colloquialism for intercepting someone, as in Jim is going to the boss's office--let's head him off at the pass.


play out1. Finish, run out, as in This extreme fashion will soon play out, or The tension between factions will surely play itself out by next year. [Late 1500s]
2. Unwind, unreel, as in They slowly played out the cable. Also see played out.