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Rule of thumb
A rule of thumb is a basic rule that is usually but not always correct
A thumb can be used as a rough measurement tool. Most old English measures
of distance were based on the body measurements of the king -- the length
of the foot, inch (thumb tip to first knuckle), cubit (elbow-to-fingertip),
and yard (nose-to-fingertip).
Another possibilty is a term dating back to medieval times when the diameter
of your thumb was the largest diameter of stick that was allowable for
disciplining one's wife i.e. - the rule of the thumb.
The following was sent in from a site visitor...
One Idiom that you left out is "rule of thumb". The definition/origin
of the term I learnt was from Great Britain where a husband was legally
allowed to punish his wife by hitting her with a stick that measured no
larger in diameter than his thumb. I would be interested to know if that
is indeed the true meaning, as I once had an argument with a "feminist"
in which the term was used by her. The argument started with a misuse
of an idiom by me and ended with the misuse of this idiom by her. The
content of the argument is irrelevant now, but I have always been curious
if I was quoting the definition correctly. (Hate to have her think that
she was right about the original argument and the use of the term. :-)
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