Publicité
WHAT DO YOU MEAN
The British Council?s language clinic with ?Dr Danny?</B>
● <B> THICK THUMBS. </B>Big Trousers. Hello and welcome again to the English Language Clinic. This week I have been asked to explain the meaning of the phrase ?rule of thumb?. This expression describes a piece of advice or principle which helps you to quickly, but not accurately, predict an outcome. Similar concepts include ?common sense? and in the sciences, philosophy and law, the use of ?heuristics?. A ?rule of thumb? produces an approximation, an estimate, a good guess; the results will usually be close to the truth, but not always. There are many theories regarding the origins of this phrase, most involve the use of the thumb as a measuring device. Examples include the shocking (and thankfully incorrect) belief that, in sixteenth century British law, the thickness of the thumb represented the maximum thickness of stick with which it was legal to beat your wife!
The ?tailors? rule of thumb? is an interesting example; using it, it is possible to learn the proportions of the human body simply by measuring the diameter of the thumb. Twice the circumference of the thumb is equal to that of the wrist, twice of which is equal to that of the neck and twice the circumference of the neck is equal to that of the waist. I have tried this ?rule of thumb?, and will not be rushing to a tailor who uses it!
Parts of the human body have been used as references for measurement for many thousands of years. Modern clues to this practice still survive, as in the imperial unit of measurement the ?foot? (30.48 cm) and in the equestrian (regarding horses) world, the ?hand? (10.16 cm).
?Rules of thumb? describe what is usually or frequently the case; they should not be applied to important decisions or situations; structural engineers, air traffic controllers and brain surgeons should probably avoid using them (and tailors!).
Please send your comments, queries and questions to ?Dr Danny? by emailing the following address [email protected]
Publicité
Publicité
Les plus récents
