rule of thumb

短语
大学

[经] 约略的估计, 比较粗糙的方法

发音

AU

词形变化

rules of thumb 复数

别名

rule-of-thumb

释义与例句

n.
  1. 1.

    A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.

    拇指规则

    概测法

    经验法则

    一般规则

    习语

    The usual rule of thumb says that to calculate when an investment will double, divide 70 by the interest rate.

  2. 2.

    Approximated, guesstimated.

    定语

    I made a quick, rule-of-thumb estimate of the manhours required for the job.

词汇关系

名词

同义词 2

guideline guidepost

上位词 2

rule regulation

词源

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.

来源：wiktionary