What's In A Word?

Previous legend || What's In A Word? || Next legend

Modicam Castigationem Adhibere, Not Flagellis Et Fustibus Acriter Verbare Uxorem

Debunked conclusively in 1996 by Sharon Fenick (see the archive). No such rule ever existed in English Common Law, nor has any court in Britain or the US ruled that wife beating is legal if the switch is a certain size.

The origin of the phrase is not conclusively known, but it probably comes from the fact that the first joint of the thumb is roughly an inch wide--making an effective makeshift ruler.

Debunked: The expression "rule of thumb" came from an old practice that permitted husbands to beat their wives as long as it was with a stick no larger than his thumb.

References:

• AFU Archive: Rule Of Thumb