bend the rules

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

bend the rules (third-person singular simple present bends the rules, present participle bending the rules, simple past and past participle bent the rules)

1. To do something that is not normally allowed but is also not explicitly prohibited.
   • 2008, Robert A. Hinde, Bending the Rules: The Flexibility of Absolutes in Modern Life, →ISBN:

     Such a mechanism could preserve individuals with mainly prosocial inclinations by enabling them to bend the rules in minor ways without suffering from guilt and without losing out in competition with free-riders.