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rule joint

American  

noun

  1. (in carpentry and joinery) a joint between two hinged pieces, as between the center and end leaves of a table, consisting of a quarter round and fillet fitting against a cove and fillet.

  2. a pivoted joint between two strips of wood placed end to end, as in a carpenter's folding rule.

Etymology

Origin of rule joint

First recorded in 1775–85

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.