rule of thumb

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Noun

rule of thumb

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

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

   • circa 1935 Ogden Nash, "Reflection on Ingenuity" in Verses from 1929 On (1959):

     Here's a good rule of thumb:

     Too clever is dumb.

2. (attributive, usually hyphenated) Approximated, guesstimated.

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

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:saying

Translations

• French: règle générale, au doigt mouillé, au pif
• German: Faustregel, Daumenregel, Pi mal Daumen
• Italian: a lume di naso
• Portuguese: heurística, macete
• Russian: практи́ческое пра́вило
• Spanish: regla general

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