according to Hoyle

English

The title page of Hoyle's 1758 treatise on backgammon.

Etymology

Named after Edmond Hoyle (1672–1769), an early author on the subject of card gaming.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

according to Hoyle

1. (idiomatic) In strict accordance with the rules, especially of card games; in the proper or expected manner.
   • 1902, Gilbert Parker, chapter 11, in Donovan Pasha and Some People of Egypt:

     This isn't a country where things are cut and dried, and done according to Hoyle.

   • 1912, Robert W. Service, “The Quitter”, in Rhymes of a Rolling Stone‎^[1]:

     When you're lost in the Wild, and you're scared as a child, / And Death looks you bang in the eye, / And you're sore as a boil, it's according to Hoyle / To cock your revolver and . . . die.

   • 2007 February 22, Phil Axelrod, “District Spotlight: PAC men's basketball follows form”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retrieved 8 Aug. 2008:

     The opening round of the Presidents' Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament went according to Hoyle.

   • 2013 December 25, Julian Fellowes, “The London Season”, in Downton Abbey, spoken by Terence Sampson (Patrick Kennedy):

     To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure he was playing strictly according to Hoyle, but we'll leave it, since the poor chap's missing.

Related terms

• according to Cocker, according to Gunter

Translations

in strict accordance with the rules

• Danish: efter alle kunstens regler
• French: en bonne et due forme (fr)

Further reading

• Gary Martin (1997–), “According to Hoyle”, in The Phrase Finder.