Thumb rule?
Thumb rule?
(OP)
Where and how did the expression "thumb rule" arise instead of "rule of thumb"? I see it more and more often these days, and it can be a bit off-putting.
Bung
Life is non-linear...





RE: Thumb rule?
RE: Thumb rule?
I don't know, but it might be that the phrase was 'rule of thumb' and not 'thumb rule' because of traditional possessive rules, and that thumb is not an adjective.
Traditionally, the possessive construct could only be used on things that could actually own something. You can have 'the man's car' but not 'the computer's monitor' because a computer cannot own a monitor. The correct grammatical construct would be 'the monitor of the computer'. Therefore, since the thumb itself is not capable of owing something, the proper phrase would be the 'rule of the thumb', and with the dropping of the definite article for the purposes of generalization, the 'rule of thumb'. Today, possessive rules are far more lax, so it would be acceptable to say 'thumb's rule'.
It also more acceptable today to use nouns as an adjective, thus removing the possesive state to get 'thumb rule'.
Again, I don't know. What are some other thoughts?
Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
RE: Thumb rule?
That'd be a tiny thumb. Mine are each about an inch wide, and closer to 3 inches long (no scale handy).
http:
Like many folk etymologies, the commonly understood origin of "rule of thumb" seems to have some inaccuracy. The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that the phrase has been used for about 300 years to refer to measurements that are based on experience instead of exact science. However, some people currently believe that the phrase "rule of thumb" originated from English common law, and that the phrase reflects a law which allowed a husband to beat his wife with a whip or stick no bigger in diameter than his thumb...
In America he cites a North Carolina case, State v Rhodes, 1868 61 N.C. 453, as "the only case on record in which a husband was let off because 'His Honor was of opinion that the defendant had a right to whip his wife with a switch no longer than his thumb.'" [Kelly, p. 345]. The State Supreme Court repudiated this argument but dismissed the case on the basis that the husband had not actually harmed the wife substantially. In other words, the rule of thumb was illegal, but wife-beating was legal as long as it didn't inflict much permanent damage.
We caution readers to use restraint in judging others harshly for either their use of the phrase "rule of thumb" or for their pain in hearing the phrase used and believing it refers to domestic violence. Keep in mind that folk etymologies are very often incorrect, and deriding people for a false belief in this area serves little purpose.
RE: Thumb rule?
RE: Thumb rule?
For many people the first (or is it last?) joint of the thumb is about an inch long, not that I'm saying that's the definitive origin either.
CajunCenturion: Nothing grammatically wrong with "thumb rule"--modifiers don't have to be adjectives. Ever eat apple pie? This is hardly a modern innovation.
That said, I agree it sounds weird when there's such an established phrase as "rule of thumb".
Hg
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RE: Thumb rule?
corus
RE: Thumb rule?
RE: Thumb rule?
BTW it has always been my understanding that the inch measure comes from the top joint of the thumb. I have small hands by any standard, and the top joint of my thumb is well over inch long, so people must have been very small in days of yore!
Bung
Life is non-linear...
RE: Thumb rule?
I've always assumed it was just something lost in translation.
RE: Thumb rule?
Bung
Life is non-linear...
RE: Thumb rule?
The linear movement of a screwed fastener follows the direction of thumb when it is rotated in a direction pointed by other fingers.
Regards,
RE: Thumb rule?
Ciao.
RE: Thumb rule?
The Thumb Rule referred to the amount of space allowed by the curve of the blade - if the space between the blade (stick laid flat) and the ice was wider than your thumb, then there was an "illegal curve" to the stick... Gives you a wicked wrist-shot, though.
RE: Thumb rule?
RE: Thumb rule?
Ciao.
RE: Thumb rule?
RE: Thumb rule?
Bung
Life is non-linear...
RE: Thumb rule?
Actually I was a bit narrow minded while defining it. How about this? I win - Thumbs Up, I loose - Thumbs Down(not subjected to engineering alone)
Regards,
RE: Thumb rule?
Putting Human Factor Back in Engineering
RE: Thumb rule?
In Dutch and in German this is called "vuistregel" resp. "faustregel" which would literally translate to "fist rule" in English.