Rule Of Thumb
Categories: Financial Theory
This is a sad one. In modern life, it refers to "a rough guess" or "within a range." As in, "Eh, when you're choosing a baker, knowing nothing else, the rule of thumb would be to go with the fattest one."
But its origins are bleak. The rule in 15th century "West" was that men could not beat their wives with a stick thicker than her thumb. Seriously.
