Rule Of Thumb

Domain	Definition
Literature	Rule of Thumb (The). A rough guess-work measure. Measuring lengths by the thumb. In some places the heat required in brewing is determined by dipping the thumb into the vat. Rule of thumb. In the legend of Knockmany Fin, Mr. Coul says:- " `That baste Cucullin [is coming]. ... for my thumb tells me so.' To which his wife replies: `Well, my Cully, don't be cast down. ... Maybe I'll bring you better out of this scrape than ever you could bring yourself by your rule of thumb [referring to the pricking of the thumb].' "- W. B. Yeats: Fairy Tales of the Irish Peasantry, p. 270. Again, p. 274, Fin knew by the "pricking of his thumb" that the giant Cucullin would arrive at two o'clock. In these cases the "rule of thumb" refers to the prognostics of the thumb, referred to by the witches of Macheth. "By the pricking of my thumbs, something evil this way comes." Source: Brewer's Dictionary.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: Rule of thumb

Rule of thumb is a procedure based on experience and common sense. It can also be used to refer to a general principle regarded as roughly correct but not intended to be scientifically accurate. Compare this to heuristics, a similar concept in algorithm design.

The term "rule of thumb" or similar exists in many languages and cultures. Its likely origin is that the thumb is often used for rough measurement by carpenters, seamstresses, and many others.

A widespread myth holds that the term originally referred to the maximum size of a stick with which it was permissible for a man to beat his wife. This myth has been thoroughly debunked, for instance by Christina Hoff Sommers in her book Who Stole Feminism (1994 ISBN 0684801566). The myth is thought to have been invented by Del Martin of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1976 and continues to be spread to this day.

External links

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Essay	Adverb: experimentally; Adjective:; on trial, at a venture; by rule of thumb. if one may be so bold.
Experiment	Empiricism, rule of thumb.
Reasoning,	Noun: intuition, instinct, association, hunch, gut feeling; presentiment, premonition; rule of thumb; superstition; astrology; faith (supposition).
Unskillfulness	Absence of rule, rule of thumb; bungling; Verb: failure; screw loose: too many cooks.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Commercial Usage: Rule Of Thumb

Domain	Title
Books	Rule of Thumb (reference) Rule of Thumb Measuring System Both English and Metric Teacher's Edition (reference) Rule of thumb; a hitchhiker's handbook to Europe, North Africa, and the East (reference) (more book examples)

Music	Rule of Thumb [IMPORT] (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Image Slideshow: Rule Of Thumb

Non-Fiction Usage: Rule Of Thumb

Subject	Topic	Quote
Business		As a rule of thumb, and to avoid confusion, industries are expected to adhere to the most stringent set of standards. (references)
Economic History	Korea	The rule of thumb for trial date is first come, first served; petitions are filed by date with the trial dates occurring in order of the date of petition. (references)
Trade	Hungary	The exact percentage varies according to the product in question, with 50-60 percent a very broad rule of thumb. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expression: Rule Of Thumb

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Rule Of Thumb

Modern Translation: Rule Of Thumb

Language		Translations for "rule of thumb"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Arabic		‏معتمد على الخبرة, ‏قاعدة ناجمة عن الإختيار, ‏حكم يعتمد على الخبرة, ‏حكم التجربة, ‏حساب تقريبي, ‏حسب الخبرة. (various references)

Bulgarian		практическо правило. (various references)

Dutch		vuistregel (empirical rule, heuristic, heuristic method, heuristic rule). (various references)

Finnish		peukalosääntö, nyrkkisääntö. (various references)

French		approximation. (various references)

German		Faustregel (rule of the thumb, rule-of-thumb), praktische Erfahrung. (various references)

Hebrew		מבוסס על �"� סיון, על פי �"� סיון (practically), כלל מ� סיון, �"לכ�" למעש�", �"ורא�" למעש�". (various references)

Hungarian		hozzávetőleges számítás. (various references)

Pig Latin		uleray ofay umbthay

Romanian		procedeu empiric. (various references)

Russian		чисто практический метод. (various references)

Swedish		tumregel (empirical rule). (various references)

Thai		หลักการทั่วๆ ไป, จากการวั�"คร่าวๆ. (various references)

Turkish		pratik yöntem, el yordamı, el kararı. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Anagrams: Rule Of Thumb

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "b-e-f-h-l-m-o-r-t-u-u"
	-2 letters: outfumble.
	-3 letters: humorful, mouthful.
	-4 letters: brothel, flouter, fumbler, humbler, hurtful, moulter, mouther, multure, ruthful, temblor, trouble, tumbler, tumbrel.
	-5 letters: befoul, bolter, bother, brulot, butler, floret, fluter, fouler, fourth, fumble, future, hombre, humble, humour, hurtle, lofter, lumber, luteum, merlot, molter, mother, mutuel, mutule, rouble, rubout, rueful, rumble, tubful, tubule, tumble, tumour.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Expression	Frequency per Day
rule of thumb	79
business valuation rule of thumb	2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression using "rule of thumb": by rule of thumb. Additional references.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Rule Of Thumb

Definition: Rule Of Thumb

Rule Of Thumb

Noun

Specialty Definition: Rule Of Thumb

Specialty Definition: Rule of thumb

See also

Synonyms: Rule Of Thumb

Synonyms within Context: Rule Of Thumb

Essay

Experiment

Reasoning,

Unskillfulness

Crosswords: Rule Of Thumb

Commercial Usage: Rule Of Thumb

Books

Music

Image Slideshow: Rule Of Thumb

Computer Images:Rule Of Thumb

Non-Fiction Usage: Rule Of Thumb

Expression: Rule Of Thumb

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Rule Of Thumb

Modern Translation: Rule Of Thumb

Arabic

Bulgarian

Dutch

Finnish

French

German

Hebrew

Hungarian

Pig Latin

Romanian

Russian

Swedish

Thai

Turkish

Anagrams: Rule Of Thumb

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

INDEX

Computer Images:
Rule Of Thumb