Metaphor of the Month! Rule of Thumb Richmond Writing

Metaphor of the Month! Rule of Thumb Richmond Writing We say rule of thumb for an approximate measurement or rough guideline when we are uncertain, yet theres a big misconception about this metaphors origin. The OED Online advises readers that A suggestion that the phrase refers to an alleged rule allowing a husband to beat his wife with a stick the thickness of his thumb cannot be substantiated. Wikipedias entry likewise calls this a modern folk etymology. A quick Google search revealed a 1998 article from The Baltimore Sun, where writer Stephanie Shapiro, noting an earlier debunking by William Safire, states that In the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, rule of thumb is additionally defined as a method by which brewers once tested the temperature of a batch of beer: They dipped a thumb in the brew. I know one fellow who works in the brewing industry. That rule of thumb no longer applies, if it ever did. Whether that origin from the field of zymology is true or not, I enjoy redeeming a useful metaphor like ours. Perhaps we need a better rule of thumb for judging words and phrases in fraught times, before we condemn them? Please nominate a word or metaphor useful in academic writing by e-mailing me (jessid -at- richmond -dot- edu) or leaving a comment below. See all of our Metaphors of the Month  here  and Words of the Week  here. Image courtesy of Timothy Valentine at Flickr.