exception that proves the rule

English

Etymology

Derived from the medieval Latin legal principle "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis" ("the exception tests the rule in the cases not excepted").

Examples
"Entry is free on Sundays." - This implies that entry is not free on the other six days of the week. "Parking prohibited on Sundays." - This implies that parking is not prohibited on the other six days of the week.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

exception that proves the rule (plural exceptions that prove the rule or exceptions that prove rules)

1. The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to demonstrate that the rule exists.

Related terms

• exception proves the rule
• the exception proves the rule

Translations

occurrence of counterexample

• Dutch: uitzondering die de regel bevestigt
• Finnish: poikkeus, joka vahvistaa säännön
• Italian: eccezione che conferma la regola f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: unntaket som bekrefter regelen

  Nynorsk: unntaket som bekreftar regelen

• Portuguese: exceção que prova a regra f
• Russian: исключе́ние, подтвержда́ющее пра́вило n (isključénije, podtverždájuščeje právilo)
• Spanish: excepción que confirma la regla
• Swedish: undantaget som bekräftar regeln

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Czech: ^{(please verify)} výjimka potvrzující pravidlo f, výjimka potvrzuje pravidlo (cs)
• Danish: ^{(please verify)} undtagelsen bekræfter regelen
• French: ^{(please verify)} l'exception confirme la regle
• German: ^{(please verify)} Ausnahmen bestätigen die Regel (de), ^{(please verify)} Ausnahmen bekräftigen die Regel

• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} a kivétel erősíti a szabályt (hu)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} undantekningin sannar regluna
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} exceptio probat rēgulam

See also

• the proof of the pudding is in the eating

References

• “The exception that proves the rule” in Gary Martin, The Phrase Finder, 1997–, retrieved 26 February 2017.
• “Exception that proves the rule” in Michael Quinion, World Wide Words^[1], 14 September 2002.
• The Straight Dope

Anagrams

• exceptions that prove the rule