【词汇大师】探索与发现(2/2)

英语自学网

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探索英语的奥秘~

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TIPS
本篇对话中，主持人的对话不需要听写，只需听写嘉宾的话
主持人对话（无）
HINTS
thicker

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"Another one is that the expression 'rule of thumb,' many people believe that this expression is a reference to an old English common law that allowed a husband to beat his wife with a rod or stick no thicker than his thumb. It's complete myth. For one thing, there never was any such law either in English or American law. And, two, the expression 'rule of thumb' dates back to at least the sixteen hundreds when it was simply a reference to the old practice of using parts of the body as rough units of measure.
"For instance, the adult male foot is a foot long. That's where we get the word 'foot' for the measurement. The thumb was about an inch wide at the knuckle. That was considered a 'thumb's breadth.' And a 'rule of thumb' meant any practice that's just done as a rough estimation. That was called a rule of thumb. That was in the language for a long time before any such claim was made about domestic abuse.