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Not to oversimplify it, somebody once said a good rule of thumb in interpreting a character is to find the good in the bad people that you portray and the bad in the good.
Gabriel Byrne

Meaning of "rule of thumb" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF RULE OF THUMB

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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF RULE OF THUMB

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Rule of thumb is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES RULE OF THUMB MEAN IN ENGLISH?

rule of thumb

Rule of thumb

A rule of thumb is a principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation. It is an easily learned and easily applied procedure for approximately calculating or recalling some value, or for making some determination. Compare this to heuristic, a similar concept used in mathematical discourse, psychology, and computer science, particularly in algorithm design.

Definition of rule of thumb in the English dictionary

The definition of rule of thumb in the dictionary is a rough and practical approach, based on experience, rather than a scientific or precise one based on theory.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE RULE OF THUMB

ruins
Ruisdael
rulable
rule
rule book
rule of law
rule of three
rule out
rule the roost
rule-of-thumb
ruled
ruleless
ruler
rulership
Rules
rulesse
ruling
ruling body
rullion
ruly

WORDS THAT END LIKE RULE OF THUMB

bethumb
green thumb
hop-o´-my-thumb
lady´s-thumb
miller´s thumb
Northumb
rhumb
rule-of-thumb
thumb
Tom Thumb
under someone´s thumb

Synonyms and antonyms of rule of thumb in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «rule of thumb» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF RULE OF THUMB

Find out the translation of rule of thumb to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of rule of thumb from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «rule of thumb» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

经验法则
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

regla de oro
570 millions of speakers

English

rule of thumb
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अंगूठे का नियम
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

بحكم التجربة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

правило
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

regra de ouro
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

চলতি নিয়ম
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

règle d´or
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Peraturan ibu jari
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Faustregel
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

経験則
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

엄지 손가락의 규칙
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Aturan jempol
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

quy tắc của ngón tay cái
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கட்டைவிரல் விதி
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

थंब च्या नियम
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Başparmak
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

regola del pollice
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

zasada
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

правило
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

regulă de degetul mare
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κανόνας του αντίχειρα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

reël
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

tumregel
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tommelfingerregel
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of rule of thumb

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «RULE OF THUMB»

The term «rule of thumb» is quite widely used and occupies the 38.889 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
82
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «rule of thumb» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of rule of thumb
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «rule of thumb».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «RULE OF THUMB» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «rule of thumb» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «rule of thumb» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about rule of thumb

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «RULE OF THUMB»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word rule of thumb.
1
Blake Anderson
I think that it should just be a rule of thumb that if your job asks you to cut your hair... that means that it's time to quit that job.
2
Wolf Blitzer
My rule of thumb is that if I am interested or intrigued by something, others will be as well.
3
Craig Brown
As a rough rule of thumb, I would say the smaller the pond, the more belligerent the fish.
4
Gabriel Byrne
Not to oversimplify it, somebody once said a good rule of thumb in interpreting a character is to find the good in the bad people that you portray and the bad in the good.
5
Julia Cameron
I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow.
6
Paul Di Filippo
There must be a rule of thumb in pop-culture archaeology that states that the allure of any topic is inversely related to its assigned importance in the affairs of humanity. The more trivial the subject, the dearer it is to most of its partisans and the more worthy of scholarship. The smallest things in life often mean the most to people.
7
Kenneth Fisher
Many follow a rule of thumb - no more than 5% in one stock. But that's not the entrepreneurial road to riches.
8
Michael Hayden
Right after 9/11, I mean, every agency can give their own gradation, but a nice, popular rule of thumb is everybody doubled down. I ended up in NSA with about twice as much money as I had prior to 9/11.
9
Michael Hayden
Right after 9/11, I mean, every agency can give their own gradation, but a nice, popular rule of thumb is everybody doubled down. I ended up in the NSA with about twice as much money as I had prior to 9/11.
10
Laura Ingraham
There's a rule of thumb in politics. If you're at a point where you're complaining about the other guy being mean and unfair and uncivil, that's probably a sign that you're losing.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «RULE OF THUMB»

Discover the use of rule of thumb in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to rule of thumb and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Rule of Thumb: Ebert at the Movies
With a critical eye that mirrors his subject's, Todd Rendleman explores the values, temperament, character, and style that have made Roger Ebert the most trusted and influential film critic in America.
Todd Rendleman, 2012
2
Statistical Rules of Thumb
Praise for the First Edition: "For a beginner [this book] is a treasure trove; for an experienced person it can provide new ideas on how better to pursue the subject of applied statistics." —Journal of Quality Technology Sensibly ...
Gerald van Belle, 2011
3
Rules of Thumb: A Life Manual
Presents a compendium of knowledge featuring one thousand pieces of wisdom and advice from farmers, financiers, philosophers, teachers, salesmen, and people in all walks of life that are illustrated by numerous photographs. Original.
Tom Parker, 2008
4
Nonparametric and Semiparametric Models
We will introduce generalizations for Silverman's rule-of-thumb and least squares cross-validation to show the analogy with the one-dimensional bandwidth selectors. Rule-of-thumb Bandwidth Rule-of-thumb bandwidth selection gives a ...
Wolfgang Härdle, 2004
5
NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1989
Second, Campbell and Mankiw have not yet made a convincing case that this statistical relation warrants the inference that 50% of disposable income goes to rule-of-thumb consumers. One needs to have a sense of what the other implications ...
Olivier J. Blanchard, Stanley Fischer, 1989
6
Rules of Thumb for Mechanical Engineers: A Manual of Quick, ...
A rule of thumb for minimum operating clearance of a cylindrical roller bearing is . 0003" to .0005". Ball bearings can be slightly less, and spherical roller bearings should be slightly more. The above considerations must be used to go from an ...
J. Edward Pope, 1997
7
Business Valuation For Dummies
In Chapter 9, we feature rule-of-thumb guidance for ten kinds of businesses from data West has compiled for the BRG and listings on his subscription Web site, Business Brokerage Press (www.bbpinc.com). In West's guide, rule-of-thumb ...
Lisa Holton, Jim Bates, 2009
8
Macroeconomics
Okun's Rule of Thumb: Each percentage point rise in unemployment is associated with a 2-percentage- point reduction in annual growth rate of real GDP. Okun's Rule of Thumb: %AQ=3.5 -2 x AU. the years between 1959 and 1999. Points in ...
Edward Gamber, David C Colander, 2006
9
Bandpass Sigma Delta Modulators: Stability Analysis, ...
As the bandpass modulators are tunable, both the "lowpass" rule of thumb (i.e. testing at 9 = n/3) and the "highpass" rule of thumb (testing at 9 = 2n/3) apply. Figure 5.28 shows the resulting minimum boundaries for a for small-signal stability of ...
Jurgen van Engelen, Rudy J. van de Plassche, 1999
10
Wine: Every Wine Rule of Thumb at Your Fingertips
The Wine Pocket Bible is a classic edition full of essential wine tips and fascinating facts. This beautiful hardback edition has both dust-cover and gold embossing on the spine making it the perfect gift for any wine lover at Christmas.
Jenny Dodd, Andrew Smith, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «RULE OF THUMB»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term rule of thumb is used in the context of the following news items.
1
A Rule Of Thumb About Post-Wedding Celebrations
The rules of wedding etiquette are constantly changing, making it difficult for modern brides, grooms and guests to find up-to-date and correct information. «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
2
Trying to get a handle on 'rule of thumb' origin
Q. When we talk about a standard or principle that's widely accepted yet has not been proved scientifically nor is strictly accurate, we often call it a “rule of thumb. «Belleville News-Democrat, May 15»
3
Resource Management Act's rule of thumb creating headaches
When a treasured kauri tree was almost chopped down in Titirangi, it was blamed for being too weak to protect. But when Auckland property prices go through ... «3News NZ, May 15»
4
The Simple Rule of Thumb for When to Use Fresh or Dry Pasta
The rule of thumb comes down to which sauce you're pairing with it. USE FRESH PASTA FOR CREAMY, DAIRY-BASED SAUCES Making a delicate sauce that ... «Huffington Post, Mar 15»
5
Retirement: Is the 4% rule still relevant?
For the last 20 years there has been a steadily consistent rule of thumb by America's financial planners when it comes to retirement — the 4% rule. And what ... «USA TODAY, Dec 14»
6
When a Simple Rule of Thumb Beats a Fancy Algorithm
For a retailer, it's extremely useful to know whether a customer will be back or has abandoned you for good. Starting in the late 1980s, academic researchers ... «blogs.hbr.org, Oct 14»
7
'Half a Glass' Rule May Curb Overdrinking
Those who had a "rule of thumb" about how much to pour -- such as limiting it to half a glass or two fingers from the top -- poured less wine than those without set ... «HealthDay, Aug 14»
8
Scientists: This Rule-Of-Thumb Can Keep You From Drinking Too …
Scientists have turned their attention to overconsumption of alcohol and have come up with a rule of thumb. All you have to do, they say, is stick to a general rule ... «Business Insider, Aug 14»
9
Another Rule of Thumb: Debunking the 80% Income Replacement …
I've taken a look at several retirement rules of thumb on The Blog, including the 3% rule, the 4% drawdown, and the bond-to-equity allocation ratio , and found ... «NASDAQ, Aug 14»
10
The rule of thumb assumptions Indian lenders make to screen loan …
EFL's data collected across 15 states shows that traditional banking “rules of thumb” or loan eligibility requirements can exclude over 70% of applicants from the ... «Quartz, Jul 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Rule of thumb [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/rule-of-thumb>. Apr 2024 ».
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