rule of thumb

Bedeutung (Englisch)

1. A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.
2. (attributive) Approximated, guesstimated.

Konzepte

Faustregel

Daumenregel

praktische Erfahrung

Synonyme

guideline

guidepost

estimate

general rule

approximation

rule of a thumb

empirical method

Übersetzungen

règle générale

vuistregel

règle empirique

regla general

regola generale

directive

heurística

linha de direção

princípio básico

receita de bolo

macete

regra prática

regra empírica

Etymologie (Englisch)

Attested since 1658. Of uncertain origin, but probably based on the use of the thumb as reference for various measurements. For instance, 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. A third 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.