This is a real time waster....

A real British Butler told me that the term Rule of Thumb comes from the way a Butler sets a table. All knifes and folks and what not are spaced apart from each other by the width of the Butlers thumb. That way the distance might not always be the same for every table, but each table setting would look the same for that table as long as every place setting was done by the same person.

So.... Any cultured types here that can offer a comment on this? Maybe a Citizen of the Commonwealth has heard this story?

For better or for worse, the staff at Windsor Castle use rulers (no pun) to set the table service for formal functions.

I go along with the inches explanation here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thumb

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

While butlers probably use it, I think it predates them. More than likely it's a builder's or farmer's (or both) term. Like the cubit, a measure related to the forearm, and the foot, it's probably really really old.

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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

The reason I posted this was because while he sounded serious he also acted as if he were pulling my leg.

Thanks for the responses.

The Wiki page on this was full of info.

For what it is worth, I tried Swift's 'twice around the thumb is once around the wrist' and it really worked, but I can't figure out why a tailor would measure your thumb if he could measure your wrist.

Maybe just to show off.

I always heard the diameter of the thumb was the biggest stick you could legally beat your wife with, its in the regulation portion of the Wiki, not that I subscribe the the practive even if it does sound about right sometimes

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
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1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
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To introduce another expression "getting the wrong end of the stick" ~ any one game to suggest its origin ?

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1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
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The sh.. end of the stick.

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