rule of thumb

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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.

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: قَاعِدَة عَامَّة — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Catalan: regla general — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Chinese Mandarin: 拇指規則 /拇指规则 (mǔzhǐ guīzé) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Chinese Mandarin: 概測法 /概测法 (gàicèfǎ) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Chinese Mandarin: 經驗法則 /经验法则 (jīngyàn fǎzé) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Chinese Mandarin: 一般規則 /一般规则 (yībān guīzé) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Danish: tommelfingerregel — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Dutch: vuistregel — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Finnish: nyrkkisääntö — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Finnish: peukalosääntö — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• French: règle générale — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• French: au doigt mouillé — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• French: au pif — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• German: Faustregel — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• German: Daumenregel — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Greek: πρακτικός κανόνας (praktikós kanónas) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Greek: βασικός κανόνας (vasikós kanónas) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Hebrew: כְּלַל אֶצְבַּע (klál étsba) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Hungarian: ökölszabály — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Icelandic: þumalputtaregla — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Italian: a lume di naso — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Japanese: 大体の目安 (daitai no meyasu) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Japanese: 目の子算 (me no kozan) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Macedonian: општо начело (opšto načelo) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Norwegian Bokmål: tommelfingerregel — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Norwegian Nynorsk: tommelfingerregel — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Portuguese: heurística — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Portuguese: macete — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Portuguese: manha — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Russian: практи́ческое пра́вило (praktíčeskoje právilo) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Russian: эмпири́ческий приём (empiríčeskij prijóm) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Russian: пра́вило большо́го па́льца (právilo bolʹšóvo pálʹca) — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Spanish: regla / pauta general — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Swedish: tumregel — general guideline rather than a strict rule
• Turkish: pratik kural — general guideline rather than a strict rule