rule the roost see under roast
rule /rool/
noun- A straight-edged strip used as a guide in drawing straight lines or as a measuring-rod, or means of mechanical calculation
- A type-high strip of metal for printing straight lines
- A straight line printed or drawn on paper, etc
- A dash
- A straight-edge used for securing a flat surface in plaster or cement
- A straight shaft of light (Milton)
- Government
- Control
- Prevalence
- That which is normal or usual
- Conformity to good or established usage
- Well-regulated condition
- Conduct (obsolete)
- Misrule (obsolete)
- A principle
- A standard
- A code of regulations, such as of a religious order
- A regulation, whether imposed by authority or voluntarily adopted
- An order of a court
- A guiding principle
- A method or process of achieving a result
- A regulation that must not be transgressed
- A maxim or formula that it is generally best, but not compulsory, to follow
- (in pl) an area around a prison in which privileged prisoners were allowed to live (historical)
- The privilege of living there (historical)
- (in pl) Australian rules football (see under Australian)
transitive verb- To draw with a ruler
- To mark with (esp parallel) straight lines
- To govern
- To control
- To manage
- To prevail upon
- To determine or declare authoritatively to be
- To determine, decree
intransitive verb- To exercise power (with over)
- To decide
- To be prevalent
- To stand or range in price
ORIGIN: OFr reule (Fr règle), from L rēgula, from regere to rule
ruˈlable adjective
- Governable
- Allowable (US)
ruleˈless (Spenser ruˈlesse) adjective
- Unruly, lawless
- Without rules
ruˈler noun
- A strip or roller for ruling lines
- A person who rules
transitive verb To strike with a ruler
ruˈlership noun
ruˈling adjective
- Predominant
- Prevailing
- Reigning
- Exercising authority
noun- A determination by a judge, esp an oral decision
- The act of making ruled lines
ruˈly adjective
Orderly in behaviour
Rule 43 noun
- A UK prison rule allowing a prisoner who is thought to need protection from other prisoners to be held in solitary confinement
- A prisoner held under this rule
rule-of-thumbˈ adjective
According to rule of thumb (see below)
as a rule
Usually
be ruled
Take advice
rule of faith
In polemical theology, the authoritative sources of the doctrines of the faith
rule of the road
The regulations to be observed in traffic by land, water or air (eg in Britain drivers, riders and cyclists take the left side in meeting, and the right in overtaking)
rule of three
The method of finding the fourth term of a proportion when three are given
rule of thumb
Any rough-and-ready practical method
rule (or rules) OK (slang; orig a gang slogan, chiefly found in graffiti)
To be dominant, have the ascendancy
rule out
To exclude as a choice or possibility
rule the roost see under roast