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In the phrase 'in the field instead of behind a / the desk', would you use 'a' or 'the'? It seems to me that 'the' is the more sensible option, as English has other expressions of the 'the N' form which denote an activity associated with the object referred by the noun, e.g. the bar as signifying the legal profession, the pen as in 'the pen is mightier than the sword'. However, a search on Google shows that 'in the field instead of behind a desk' exceedingly outnumbers the other version.

Apollyon
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    Since there's no difference in meaning between the two, I would go with the one I personally fancy more. – RegDwigнt Jul 15 '16 at 12:28
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    Answers to this question are always tossed over to ELL: http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/40379/which-article-to-use-a-or-the http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/17524/there-should-be-an-article-a-or-the http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/14175/should-i-use-a-or-the-here http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/16913/should-we-use-an-article-a-the-before-business-noun – Hot Licks Jul 15 '16 at 12:31
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    I'd use the apparently less sensible option. With this expression. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 15 '16 at 12:37
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    In expressions like 'before the mast', 'lived by the sea', and 'by the side of the road', and especially in more firmly fixed ones like 'bite the bullet', 'go the extra mile', 'take the bull by the horns', the definite article usage has been locked in. This is in spite of no specification (Which sea? Which bullet?) and probably no intention to specify. Perhaps there was a specificness in mind when the expression was first gaining popularity. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 15 '16 at 16:50

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I would definitely use "behind a desk", as that is the usual way of putting it. There is no specific desk, it's just any desk out of any number of desks at any number of companies, and not an interesting desk at all.

On the contrary, when you say "in the field", it is not in a specific field, but it's not specifically in a field either, it's a way of saying a place where you are working or studying in real situations, rather than [...] an office or in this case away from a desk. It's always determined.

Maybe the simplest is to say that both are set expressions.

Law29
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    I've been speaking British English for >60y and have never understood "the field" to refer to "the field of battle" (unless that were implied by the context). I would understand it to refer to a specific field (mentioned or implied); or "in the field" to mean "a place where you are working or studying in real situations, rather than from an office, laboratory, etc." (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/field) – TrevorD Jul 15 '16 at 14:32
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    "In the field' possibly has different connotations from 'on the field', which is what I would use if I were referring to either battle or sport. If i'in the field' isn't being used to describe the location or livestock, crops and ramblers then it is the place you go to do fieldwork. :) – Spagirl Jul 15 '16 at 15:29
  • @TrevorD I'll agree that "in the field" has lots of other relevant uses, but I'm having difficulties finding an example where "in a field" is not followed by some specifying clause. – Law29 Jul 15 '16 at 22:42
  • I'm afraid that the true explanation has nothing to do with the fact that 'There is no specific desk' being referred to. English has many expressions of the form 'the N' that do not refer to specific objects; rather, they are examples of the rhetorical device known as metonymy. Take 'the rack' as in 'He really put me on the rack' for example. There is no specific rack in the mind of the person who utters this sentence. – Apollyon Jul 16 '16 at 02:52
  • @Apollyon Yes . . . but in the case of the desk (the one we are talking about!), the usual way of choosing between a and the works :) I'll happily delete my explanation as soon as there's a better one. I've looked through the four ELL references found by HotLicks found and none seem to address a set expression. – Law29 Jul 16 '16 at 07:11