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Rule of thumb

There’s a lot of controversy around the origins of this term. You know it to mean a generally accepted principle. It’s said to derive from laws in England and America dating back to the 1600s. These laws are said to have stated that a man could beat his wife with any stick no wider than his thumb. Hence, the rule of thumb. Scholars have searched but they can’t find any precise proof for this origin—but that doesn’t mean that domestic violence isn’t a problem. Learn some words and phrases you should never say if you want to sound smart.