rule of thumb
31
3.8
- noun
- /ruːl əv θʌm/
- Informal
:
regla general
- Other thing is this is a rule of thumb in businesses, hire slow, fire fast.
- a good rule of thumb
- a general rule of thumb
- a few rules of thumb
But that's a decent rule of thumb, and that's too long.
- But that's a decent rule of thumb, and that's too long.
- I think just a good rule of thumb is talk about it first.
- The third sign is a great rule of thumb, and I love to use this one.
- Well, here's a rule of thumb which I have found to be very effective.
- These are rules of thumb which give general guidelines to action.
- I think a good rule of thumb is don't rush to finish your film.
- And he has a rubric or a rule of thumb.
- I don't have a rule of it's much like, well, other rules of thumb in our business.
- Generally, the rule of thumb is do not fire until fired upon.
Examples
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In cooking, a common rule of thumb is to add a teaspoon of salt for every quart of water.
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So anyway, and the rule of thumb is always pay yourself first.
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Generally, the rule of thumb is do not fire until fired upon.
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I think just a good rule of thumb is talk about it first.
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My general rule of thumb is per million views, it's about two grand for us.
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I always thought that was a good rule of thumb.
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Good rule of thumb: Treat each of these girls as you would your mother.
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These are rules of thumb which give general guidelines to action.
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So I think a general rule of thumb that I have learned is just do not enter that tax bracket.
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I think a good rule of thumb is don't rush to finish your film.
Synonyms
344
3.1
A general rule that helps you decide what to do
3
4.7
A rule or idea that helps people choose the right action
A simple practical way to decide what to do from experience to solve problems faster
How Authoritative
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'rule' signals a guideline, the constituent 'thumb' (a body part) gives no transparent clue that the expression refers to an approximate practical guideline based on experience. The phrase is idiomatic/historical rather than compositional and is not cross‑linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows the words would unlikely derive the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Rule of thumb may come from using the thumb as a quick measuring tool. People long ago used their thumb to judge length or amount, so the phrase now means 'a general guideline' used when an exact measure is not needed.