Is this the exception or the rule?
In many uses of the phrase, however, the existence of an exception is taken to more definitively ‘prove’ a rule to which the exception does not fit. Under this sense it is “the unusualness of the exception” which proves how prevalent the tendency or rule of thumb to which it runs contrary is.
Is the exception not the rule?
Definition of the exception rather than the rule : not common or usual : not often done, seen, or happening : rare Friendly customer service seems to be the exception rather than the rule nowadays.
Is there always an exception to the rule?
“To every rule there is an exception.” Let us presume that this is true. If true, this means that all other rules have one or more exceptions. No other rule is an exception. And this means in one sense, there is no exception to the rule that “to every rule there is an exception.”
What is the saying about exception to the rule?
“The exception that proves the rule” is based on the Latin phrase “exceptio probat regulam,” a legal principle that can be used to argue the following: if exceptions are made under specific conditions, it must mean there is a rule that applies when those conditions are not in effect.
Why exception confirms the rule?
Taken as a set phrase, “the exception that proves the rule” indicates a deviation from the norm, a challenge to the stereotype. It says, in effect, the norm or stereotype is the rule and here is something that is an exception to that rule.
What is exception to the general rule?
Exceptions are rules which limit the extent of other more general rules, and render that just and proper, which would be, on account of its generality, unjust and improper.
When should you make exceptions?
Exempt someone or something from a general rule or practice, as in Because it’s your birthday, I’ll make an exception and let you stay up as late as you want. This expression was first recorded about 1391.
Where did the phrase the exception proves the rule?
The term the exception that proves the rule is derived from a Latin phrase first used by Cicero, exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis, which means the exception confirms the rule in cases not excepted.
What is exception to the rule?
An exception to a rule does not follow that rule. This word is used for all sorts of things that are not usual or usually allowed. The saying ”i before e except after c,” is about an exception to a spelling rule. If you run every day but take Saturdays off, you’re making an exception.
What does it mean when the exception proves the rule?
phrase. If you are making a general statement and you say that something is the exception that proves the rule, you mean that although it seems to contradict your statement, in most other cases your statement will be true.
What does the exception proves the rule mean?
There’s a saying “The exception proves the rule,” in which “proves” has the old meaning of “tests.” : : Something out of the ordinary which does not conform to usual behaviour is an exception to the rule. For example; This shop is open every day except Christmas Day.
Do exceptions strengthen the rule?
The early L*tin phrase, ‘An exception claimed in the case of matters or persons not excepted strengthens the rule,’ made the slightly different point that exceptions only strengthened the case for having the rule.
What does ‘the exception on Sunday’ mean?
The exception on Sunday is demonstrating that the rule exists. It isn’t testing whether the incorrect rule ‘you have to pay’ is true or not, and it certainly isn’t proving that incorrect rule to be true. What’s the origin of the phrase ‘The exception that proves the rule’?
What is an example of exception?
By exception we usually mean ‘something unusual, not following a rule’. What it means here though is ‘the act of leaving out or ignoring’. If we have a statement like ‘entry is free of charge on Sundays’, we can reasonably assume that, as a general rule, entry is charged for.