Eliminate This Rule

I usually find the Los Angeles Times avoids the use of words and phrases that would be offensive or otherwise unacceptable to its readers. However, your writers continue to use “rule of thumb.” While this phrase is a handy way to refer to an unwritten rule, its original usage means something far different.

Before wife- and child-beating were outlawed, it used to be legal for a man to beat his wife or child if the stick he used were no bigger around than his thumb. Hence, the “rule of thumb.”

The Feb. 10 edition contained two uses of this phrase. Nina Easton used it in her article on why women are drawn to the movie “Rain Man.” And David Nelson used “rule of thumb” when discussing pastrami sandwiches.

I would assume that the L.A. Times maintains an ongoing guide or style sheet, which its writers and editors refer to from time to time. I recommend bringing the origin of “rule of thumb” to the attention of your writers and editors and placing it in the “unacceptable usage” section of your style guide.

BETH GIVENS

San Diego