Why some rules of thumb deserve to stick around

That master of light poetry, Ogden Nash, wrote, “Here’s a good rule of thumb; too clever is dumb.”

He could have been referring to a recent piece of light journalism by Michael Sebastian in Esquire titled “The New Rules of (Not) Drinking with Straws” about “the deep and complicated relationship men have with straws.” Sebastian briefly mentioned the politically ginned-up concern that liberals not using plastic straws is evidence of “the decline of manhood,” but his main point was that using any sort of straw just isn’t manly — unless the drink in hand was produced through a blender. Then it’s OK. That’s more a rule of thumb than a hard-and-fast rule.

The Online Etymology Dictionary says the term “rule” has meant “a principle or maxim governing conduct” since around 1200 CE and traces back