foot rule

American  

noun

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

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foot rule British  

noun

1. a rigid measure, one foot in length

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Etymology

Origin of foot rule

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foot rule

"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.

From US News ● Jan. 11, 2016

Look well at the two Pointers, because the distance between them, five degrees, is the most convenient "foot rule" for the sky that you will ever find.

From Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know Easy studies of the earth and the stars for any time and place by Rogers, Julia Ellen

After the length has been thus found, measure it directly with the foot rule and compare the measured length with the one found from the angles.

From A Text-Book of Astronomy by Comstock, George C.

Mary Hope reproved them sternly, rapping on the kitchen table with a foot rule of some soft wood that blazoned along its length the name of a Pocatello hardware store.

From Rim o' the World by Fischer, Anton Otto

Considering that I had no standard of measurement within reach—neither yard-stick, nor foot rule, nor graduated scale of any kind—you will naturally conclude that I must have abandoned the problem.

From The Boy Tar by Read, Edward