The Undegooglables
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Episode 116 · October 23, 2021

Index of the Rest

The hosts try to work out where "rule of thumb" comes from and debunk a common myth.

“We nailed it because we didn't guess wife beating.” (11:20)

Questions

Where does the phrase "rule of thumb" come from? (00:33)

Our guess
Falconry or a measuring technique using the thumb (sewing, estimating distance), from the Middle Ages.
Reveal the answer
The answer
The popular story that it comes from a legal limit on the thickness of a stick for beating a wife is a false etymology. The earliest print uses are 17th-century (a Scottish preacher, 1692), meaning a rough practical measure.
Verdict right

Listen to the episode

Transcript (auto-generated)
[00:00] last thing we got for you is
[00:02] our under Google and
[00:07] Jason did you have the question for us this week? I believe Harper had that Harper had it. Okay. What do you got for us?
[00:12] How can I help you?
[00:26] Under Google rules that was the play of super excited told us we had to
[00:33] We signed up for it in the end
[00:38] It's gonna be better and more true than Google can give you so I have this
[00:44] Fake notion that we might have done this before
[00:48] But my question is
[00:50] Where did the the saying rule of thumb come from?
[00:54] How does it work and someone who's asked me a question?
[00:59] I was like, here's your rule of thumb and I was like, well, why is that a thing? Okay, so I don't know if we ever
[01:06] Did it but I did
[01:09] there's the point where
[01:11] falconry became a
[01:13] Topic right and so one of the things in falconry is under
[01:17] under my thumb
[01:20] So I don't know if rule of thumb is also related to that but but that I know is definitely a falconry thing
[01:26] So when you have there your falcon on your hand and you clasp your thumb
[01:32] So falconry has the inside track on this one is what you're telling me
[01:37] Potentially potentially. Yeah, so that's the only thing we use our thumbs for
[01:42] Yeah, exactly
[01:45] So otherwise a use is totally useless
[01:49] The so that the phrase itself generally will mean like it's sort of like a
[01:55] Shortcut or a standard procedure kind of thing, right? Like it's like best practice breath. Yeah
[02:01] anyway, I
[02:04] Think that sort of just like default action or
[02:09] Yeah, just a general a general guideline
[02:12] Right for something, right? Okay. Yeah
[02:20] And so maybe the reason that I thought that we had done this before is cuz like I felt like it was somehow related to like
[02:28] sewing or like Taylor
[02:32] But I don't know why I think that in my mind
[02:39] I don't know why but I think it I think of measuring things like and so maybe this goes to sewing or something like that
[02:45] So it's like a rule. It's like so many thumbs
[02:48] Away from whatever. I don't know. Mm-hmm. Look if you're trying to measure something out
[02:54] Cuz like early on right like we didn't have standard
[02:58] You know, you didn't have rulers, right? So you'd have to like right, you know
[03:02] That's why we have the the inch in the foot right is based on stupid King's foot, right?
[03:07] And we've also got the thumb which is like another
[03:11] Stupid way to measure stuff because right or the hand. Yeah, so many hands. I
[03:19] And Joey you got any thoughts on I mean, I'm just thinking like
[03:25] I don't know the thing that comes to my mind is like when if you were trying to
[03:30] estimate something I just kind of like sticking your thumb out and and and
[03:35] You know out in front just kind of you know getting maybe like the
[03:39] Distance of it or the angle or something like kind of holding your thumb out
[03:43] for your cartography
[03:45] Yes. Yes
[03:47] If you're you know trying to get something like that figure it out or if you're trying to crush your head
[03:56] The young younger listeners out there
[04:03] Skits
[04:05] That's the only thing I really think of I mean
[04:10] Yeah, I mean some of these things so I mean clearly so many of the things in my life
[04:14] I just picked up what they meant by context. Yeah, it's true
[04:22] It's funny how little people actually teach you you just pick everything up
[04:29] In so we're thinking okay, so falconry has the inside track on source
[04:35] Other potential sources this sounds like middle ages II to me. Yeah, like
[04:40] You know, yeah
[04:44] Shakespeare maybe
[04:46] Could be
[04:49] It does sound Shakespeare ask
[04:54] Although he probably would have had a fancier word for rule or something. Yeah, Christopher Marla, maybe
[05:08] And then I guess well and I guess I'm thinking I guess I'm thinking England again
[05:16] We're talking about Shakespeare, but I'm beyond that I don't I
[05:21] Don't know. This is hard. It's I yeah, the only thing I think is like using your thumb as a as a
[05:29] Approximation for something like to for measurement. Basically, I'm stumped on this one. I really can't
[05:43] If it were a falconry thing trying to think what it would mean what it would what the rule of thumb would be
[05:52] Keep your thumb away from its face
[05:55] Yeah, probably that's go
[05:58] Maybe it may yeah, maybe it comes from construction. The rule of thumb is keep your thumb, you know out of the way of the hammer
[06:05] It's a good
[06:06] It's a good way to keep your thumbs sure or keep it away from the saw or after it gets cut off
[06:11] We'll use it to measure stuff
[06:13] Right you could
[06:15] if we don't
[06:18] Any piece of wood would do the same thing, but not nearly as fun make an example out of it. I guess
[06:25] Show all the other thumbs to keep in line
[06:29] Sidebar have you guys seen like this saw us now that as soon as they hit
[06:35] Like this spinning ones as soon as they touch flesh they stop really they've got a break in there. Yeah, it's it's insane. What?
[06:42] Mechanism I wonder what mechanism they're using to detect that I
[06:46] Wasn't quite sure but like table like table saw kind of stuff like yeah as soon as it touched
[06:52] It would like a circular saw right like yeah, and as soon as it as soon as it touched flesh it would
[06:59] It would just stop immediately. Yeah
[07:02] Feel like I saw that like I'm 60 minutes or something. I wonder if there's
[07:06] Is there some sort of sensor in the blade itself cuz that seems crazy down. I'm not sure
[07:12] I wasn't sure if it was in the blade or or like in the
[07:16] In the motor mechanism. I'm not sure but that technology does exist
[07:22] It's in its in use. Oh
[07:27] Check this out. Oh my god. I think this Oh weird. Okay
[07:32] Go ahead sir. What do you got? Well, so I'm on the saw thing. Oh
[07:37] You're on the saw thing. Okay, the blade carries a small electrical signal
[07:41] So when the skin contacts the blade the signal changes because the human body is conductive sure and in turn then
[07:49] activates a break and
[07:54] That's sort of simplistic genius. Yeah, you just gotta do just based on conductivity
[08:01] But yeah, I think that the challenge there is just you know breaking
[08:06] something spinning that fast without
[08:10] You know
[08:12] Causing damage or causing much damage. Sure
[08:14] That's still I mean it beats losing the thumb. Oh for sure
[08:22] Okay. So what did we find out about thumb? This is gonna be gory rule of thumb has a pretty gross. I
[08:28] Was hoping it was gonna be disgusting
[08:31] Okay
[08:33] So
[08:35] in
[08:36] modern folk etymology
[08:39] It holds that the phrase is derived from the maximum width of a stick allowed for wife beating. Oh English law. No way
[08:47] But no such law ever existed this belief might have originated in a rumored statement by 18th century
[08:54] Judge, sir Francis Butler
[08:57] That a man may beat his wife with a stick no wider than his thumb
[09:03] The rumor produced numerous satirical jokes and cartoons at Bullers expense
[09:08] but there is no record that he made such a statement and
[09:12] So then it just went
[09:14] Hey wire after that basically interesting. So there's a false etymology
[09:19] like I
[09:22] Believe so, yeah
[09:25] Okay, the the phrase rule of thumb first became associated with domestic abuse in the 1970s
[09:32] After which the spurious legal definition was cited as factual in a number of law journals and the US Commission on Civil Rights
[09:40] published a report on domestic abuse
[09:42] Titled under the rule of thumb in 1982. So yes, we don't so we know where we know that that
[09:51] We know it didn't come from right? Okay. Yeah
[09:55] Which thank God
[09:58] Yeah, but I think it's gonna be
[10:01] Truly under Google. Yeah, so I don't I don't know how legit this site is
[10:10] Spark files so
[10:12] Could be questionable
[10:14] But the earliest appearance in print comes from a skies Scottish preacher James Durham
[10:20] Dating back to the 17th century many professed Christians are like to foolish builders
[10:25] Who build by guests and by rule of thumb and not by square rule?
[10:32] And again in 19 or in 1692
[10:39] What he doth he doth by rule of thumb and not by art I see another one for 1640
[10:50] If Hercules tall stature might be guessed but by his thumb the index of the rest
[10:57] So basically, I mean we guess Middle Ages, which seems pretty spot-on
[11:04] Feels pretty Englishy or at the very least European a and
[11:13] The reality is that no one was literate or writing back then. So all the slang is just
[11:20] Apocryphal unless Shakespeare wrote it down
[11:23] Well, I'm just gonna say that we nailed it because we didn't guess wife meeting
[11:42] Like everybody else. Yeah
[11:44] That's right. Hmm. Yeah, that's the
[11:53] That would that's the only incorrect answer as far as I can tell. Yeah, and I would say that
[12:02] You know our answer to the under Google Bowl is fitting for the idiom itself
[12:07] Which basically just means a principle that's widely useful, but not strictly accurate in all circumstances
[12:13] Nailed it pretty good. Pretty good. I think we
[12:24] so I guess I would like to
[12:27] If we got some listeners out there that have that can shed a little more light on us for the rotation of the earth and or
[12:34] the rule of thumb
[12:36] you should
[12:38] Give us money
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