Barcon
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Sex in the snow
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- Thread starter Bill Walker
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Fiftyyearsandcounting
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In the 1400s in England, a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence ‘the rule of thumb.’
Barcon
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Cavemen used to drag their women by the hair so that they didn't fill up with dirt.
Bill Walker
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In English, the phrase rule of thumb refers to an approximate method for doing something, based on practical experience rather than theory. This usage of the phrase can be traced back to the 17th century and has been associated with various trades where quantities were measured by comparison to the width or length of a thumb.In the 1400s in England, a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence ‘the rule of thumb.’
A modern folk etymology holds that the phrase is derived from the maximum width of a stick allowed for wife-beating under English common law, but no such law ever existed.
When I lived in Kent a guy I worked with rang in sick with a bad leg. Unfortunately for him the local Dover Express ran a story of how a goalkeeper, playing for a local team, took a free kick in his own penalty area. This kick was so powerful it reached the opponent's penalty area, bounced over the keepers head and into the goal. Of course the keeper who took the kick was the guy who rang in sick with a bad leg lol.
That's how he got his bad leg, aint it? :-)When I lived in Kent a guy I worked with rang in sick with a bad leg. Unfortunately for him the local Dover Express ran a story of how a goalkeeper, playing for a local team, took a free kick in his own penalty area. This kick was so powerful it reached the opponent's penalty area, bounced over the keepers head and into the goal. Of course the keeper who took the kick was the guy who rang in sick with a bad leg lol.
That's how he got his bad leg, aint it? :-)
Ha the problem for him was the game was on the day he'd rang in with his excuse and played after his phone call. He came back to match reports and pictures of himself cut from the local rag all over the ship.
Fiftyyearsandcounting
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I expect your explanation is the most reasonable. I chose this particular etymology at random from a list of several other suggestions which included-In English, the phrase rule of thumb refers to an approximate method for doing something, based on practical experience rather than theory. This usage of the phrase can be traced back to the 17th century and has been associated with various trades where quantities were measured by comparison to the width or length of a thumb.
A modern folk etymology holds that the phrase is derived from the maximum width of a stick allowed for wife-beating under English common law, but no such law ever existed.
A miller would roll flour between his thumbs to decide if it needed regrinding
Old seafarers did not trust the accuracy of charts so, to avoid hidden rocks, they would sail a thumbs width from the coastline.
As a point of interest, in North Carolina in 1868, in a case of wife beating, the husband was let off because "His Honor was of opinion that the defendant had a right to whip his wife with a switch no longer than his thumb". However, this was later repudiated as illegal by the state supreme court but, allowed did permit beatings "provided no permanent damage was caused".
BrianW
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The traditional concept was 'reasonable chastisement' as with kids. What is 'reasonable' varied with the times. Legally, it is what a jury considers a reasonable person would do.
A woman could get a separation from her husband for cruelty even in the middle ages. This was a matter for the church courts and to qualify she had to be of 'good character' that is, vouched to be obedient and not shrewish, a good attendee at church and so on. But the level of violence required we would think of as GBH or even attempted murder.
A woman could get a separation from her husband for cruelty even in the middle ages. This was a matter for the church courts and to qualify she had to be of 'good character' that is, vouched to be obedient and not shrewish, a good attendee at church and so on. But the level of violence required we would think of as GBH or even attempted murder.
Barcon
Well-Known Member
When you turn 50 you start counting backwards at each birthday. Today I am 40, ten years younger than I was when I was 50