Saturday, September 22, 2007

Rule of Thumb - Idioms - Native English Teacher


This week's idiom is 'rule of thumb'.

It originated from the use of one's thumb as a rough measurement tool. It is a basic rule, but not always exact. Most old English measures of distance were based on the body measurements of the king:

Foot: the length of the foot.

Inch: thumb tip to first knuckle.

Cubit: elbow-to-fingertip.

Yard: nose-to-fingertip.



Example: As a rule of thumb, plant carrot seeds two inches deep.

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