Rule of thumb

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Phrase: Rule of thumb

A good rule of thumb is that whenever you want to do something, there is a rule controlling how, where, and when you can do it.

Rules govern our world.

No matter where you go or what you do, there is a rule, or many, that you should follow.

Some rules are stringent.

When it comes to nuclear power plants, the regulations are in place for safety reasons.

They are not meant to be broken or bent in any way.

The rule is the rule is the rule.

Never deviate from the rule.

Then there are rules of thumb.

When driving your car on the highway, it’s essential to maintain a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

It’s common sense.

Tailgating is dangerous and may lead to incidences of road rage.

So how far should you stay back?

Well, a good rule of thumb is two seconds.

Under normal driving conditions, that should give you enough stopping distance in an emergency.

You’ve got this far, and I still haven’t told you what the rule of thumb means.

I appreciate your patience.

Well, a rule of thumb is a rough guideline for how something should be measured.

You may have wondered why I included a picture of flour when I talked about nuclear power plants and driving.

Well, it has to do with the origin of the phrase rule of thumb.

It comes from millers milling flour in wind-powered four mills.

Traditionally, two stones are ground together to grind wheat into flour.

Flour is graded on how fine it is.

Before there was a standard way of measuring the fineness of four, millers felt it between their thumb and index finger.

The action is like the North American gesture for money.

The miller judged the quality of the flour based on how it felt, hence the rule of thumb.

This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).

The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.