rule of thumb
See also: rule-of-thumb
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Attested since the late 1600s.[1] Of uncertain origin. One theory notes that the inch originated as the distance between the base of the thumbnail and the first joint, another notes the practice of approximating the general direction of the wind by wetting the thumb then raising it in the air. Another theory notes that English royal banquet plate setters used the distance of their thumbs to equally space each plate from the table edge.
The erroneous claim that the term referred to the maximum thickness of a stick with which it was permissible for a man to beat his wife has appeared in the Washington Post and Time; it may originate from Del Martin's 1976 book Battered Wives.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Noun
rule of thumb (plural rules of thumb)
- A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.
- The usual rule of thumb says that to calculate when an investment will double, divide 70 by the interest rate.
- c. 1935 Ogden Nash, "Reflection on Ingenuity" in Verses from 1929 On (1959):
- Here's a good rule of thumb:
- Too clever is dumb.
- 2016, James Lambert, “Ornithonymy and Lexicographical Selection Criteria”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 30, number 1, pages 39–62:
- Since it is impossible to second-guess what a user will want to look up, there is a general lexicographical rule of thumb to err on the side of inclusion.
- (attributive, usually hyphenated) Approximated, guesstimated.
- I made a quick, rule-of-thumb estimate of the manhours required for the job.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:saying
Translations
general guideline rather than a strict rule
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References
- ^ Michael Quinion lists the first documented use as 1692; the Oxford English Dictionary has documented use as early as 1685.