foot rule

noun

1. a ruler one foot (30.48 centimeters) in length.

foot rule

noun

1. a rigid measure, one foot in length

Word History and Origins

Origin of foot rule¹

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

The under 8 foot rule: If your deck surface is less than 8 feet off the ground, you usually qualify for an expedited permit called Subject to Field Inspection.

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“At the probation camps, it is our understanding that youth are still housed in crowded dormitory settings and that the ‘six foot rule’ is neither explained nor enforced.”

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Yet Trump has not reinstated the wet foot, dry foot rule and, further, has ramped up removals of would-be Cuban immigrants.

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Some of the Cubans stuck in limbo here at the Texas border arrived on Jan. 12, the same day the Obama administration eliminated the so-called wet foot, dry foot rule.

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"There will be occasions were the 20 foot rule would be unconstitutional, but I'm not sure that would make the statute unconstitutional on its face," he says.

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