RULE


Meaning of RULE in English

I. noun

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a court rules/orders/holds sth

The court ruled that the penalty was not excessive.

a court ruling (= an official decision )

The company appealed against the court ruling.

a king rules/reigns (= is in charge of a country )

How could a Christian king rule if he was banned from the Church?

a queen rules/reigns (= is in charge of a country )

Queen Victoria reigned for over 60 years.

adhered...to...rules

I have adhered strictly to the rules .

as a general rule

I hate paperwork as a general rule .

Australian Rules football

basic rules

Most people nowadays are aware of some of the basic rules of healthy living.

be the exception, not the rule (= used to emphasize that something is unusual )

Staying married for life seems to be the exception, not the rule these days.

be the exception to the rule ( also be the exception that proves the rule ) (= be different to most other people or things )

Most of the boys were quite shy, but Larry was the exception to the rule.

cardinal rules

Having clean hands is one of the cardinal rules when preparing food.

colonial rule

the struggle against colonial rule

common-law rules/courts/rights etc

enforce a rule/regulation

The rules are strictly enforced.

gag rule

golden rule

The golden rule of cooking is to use fresh ingredients.

ground rules

Our book lays down the ground rules for building a patio successfully.

hard-and-fast rules

It is impossible to give hard-and-fast rules , but here are some points to consider.

home rule

laws/rules dictate sth

Federal laws dictate how land can be used.

lay down/establish ground rules for sth

Our book lays down the ground rules for building a patio successfully.

majority rule

It took many years of struggle to establish majority rule in South Africa.

maze of rules/regulations etc

a maze of new laws

mob rule (= when a mob controls the situation rather than the government or the law )

The leadership had been criticized for giving in to mob rule .

obey the law/rules

She’s the sort of person who always obeys the rules.

relax rules/regulations/controls

Hughes believes that immigration controls should not be relaxed.

reverse a decision/ruling

The Supreme Court reversed the decision.

rule a country (= have complete control of a country )

For a long time the country was ruled by military dictators.

rule out/exclude a possibility (= say that something will definitely not happen or is definitely not true )

We can't rule out the possibility that there will be more redundancies.

ruled out foul play

Detectives have not ruled out foul play .

rules and conventions

Rules and conventions permeate the whole of social life.

rules and regulations

We must reduce the number of rules and regulations.

rules/standards of conduct

In war, there are established rules of conduct.

ruling elite

a struggle for power within the ruling elite

sb’s heart rules their head (= someone makes decisions based on emotions rather than careful thought )

He has never been one to let his heart rule his head.

slide rule

stretch the rules

This once, I’ll stretch the rules and let you leave work early.

strict rules/regulations/guidelines

There are strict rules and regulations regarding conduct.

the rules of a competition

Make sure you understand the rules of the competition.

the rules of the game

It's against the rules of the game to pick up the ball.

the ruling class (= the people in power )

For a long time, French was the language of the ruling class.

the ruling party (= the party in power )

The ruling party’s level of support grew throughout the year.

the ruling/governing coalition

The March elections may weaken the ruling coalition.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADJECTIVE

basic

The basic rules of self-defence are quite simple: keep your eyes open and you can usually avoid trouble.

Shelter from the storm was a basic rule of humanity and yet not to be misunderstood as an invitation.

The basic branching rule is very simple.

The basic rules are First-in-First-Out and When-in-Doubt-Throw-It-Out.

Society lays down the basic rules of the marriage contract.

I know there are exceptions to this basic rule .

Returning to Community legislation, the founding treaties lay down certain basic rules on the publication and commencement of such texts.

These few basic rules can make your group maximally helpful:-Meet regularly at a mutually acceptable time and place.

colonial

Critics say that Cable &038; Wireless never adjusted to the loss of its traditional dominance in Hong Kong under colonial rule .

His Mirror Group papers were non-partisan, but they were, equally, not identified with colonial rule .

The act of representing peoples under direct colonial rule or as disadvantaged economic partners of the west is therefore also political.

During seventy years of colonial rule , no university had been established.

What were the social and economic consequences of the imposition of colonial rule ?

During colonial rule the people and the leaders had struggled together as one.

communist

In his broadcast on Saturday Mr Yeltsin said he had been forced to act to prevent the restoration of Communist rule .

Even though Communist rule is 11 months away, Zunzi is paying the price for his brashness.

Their country suffered years of economic stagnation and mismanagement under Communist rule .

But they also engaged in blood feuds, which were outlawed under Communist rule .

From its balcony, in 1948, Gottwald declared the introduction of Communist rule .

direct

The decision to impose direct rule followed the expiry of Governor's rule at midnight on July 18.

By midnight, there was no indication that Milosevic had imposed direct rule in the capital.

The act of representing peoples under direct colonial rule or as disadvantaged economic partners of the west is therefore also political.

Basically their socioeconomic structure thus remains as it was under direct imperialist rule .

For example this happened in 1972 when the Westminster Parliament reimposed direct rule in Northern Ireland.

In March 1972, the Stormont parliament and executive were abolished and direct rule was applied.

The path least likely to cause trouble appears to be the continuation of direct rule from Westminster.

Introducing direct rule had been easy enough; ending it was a problem.

fast

As long as you are comfortable, there are no hard and fast rules about clothing.

However, this is not a hard and fast rule and there are numerous exceptions.

The official departmental view is that no case is exactly like another, and hard and fast rules can not be applied.

There are no hard and fast rules .

There is no hard and fast rule: once again, the test is that of ordinary readers.

But there are no hard and fast rules about the physique of a racing cyclist.

It's difficult to give a hard and fast rule .

general

Pay first and object later is the general rule .

Exacerbations and remissions of the pain are the general rule .

But as a general rule it can happen at any age and time.

As a general rule , algae are considered weeds in the aquarium as their growth can not be easily regulated.

The double bassoon should only be used, as a general rule , in fully scored passages.

As a general rule , though, the good ones end up in law school.

There are exceptions to this general rule , however.

This general rule should solve most of the problems raised by this subject-matter.

golden

So here are a few golden rules to follow ... just in case the sun keeps shining.

They discovered and applied the golden rule of leading change: Do unto yourself what you would have others do unto themselves.

The first, golden rule is that children do not learn at an even pace.

In terms of the golden rule of change, it caused them to do unto themselves what they wanted others to do.

Aspiring rock artists should remember one golden rule when dealing with the press: there are no rules.

So, the two golden rules when buying are to go for quality and buy the largest you can afford.

Remember the golden rule of legal PR-keep the client in the picture.

There are two golden rules about school fees planning.

hard

The official departmental view is that no case is exactly like another, and hard and fast rules can not be applied.

However, this is not a hard and fast rule and there are numerous exceptions.

There is no hard and fast rule: once again, the test is that of ordinary readers.

There are no hard and fast rules .

But there are no hard and fast rules about the physique of a racing cyclist.

It's difficult to give a hard and fast rule .

legal

Equally, any proposed remedies must be addressed more to administrative and procedural practice than to changing formal legal rules .

Its importance in enabling people to use lawyers to guide them through the baffling maze of legal rules is self-evident.

Everywhere else it is used in the sense of legal rules embodied in one document.

His decision to aid the individual is determined by a set of social or legal rules .

Do you therefore automatically break this legal rule ?

Nevertheless, the topic is undeniably an important one and it is worth sketching in the legal rules .

There is not one particular legal rule for each situation which arises or may arise.

military

The exiled monarch had also called for an immediate end to military rule .

There was to be no pause for reflection, nor - much less - for a changeover from military to civilian rule .

It also removed many of the restrictions imposed during the period of military rule between 1964 and 1985.

Existing political parties were banned, and a period of military rule followed.

The end of military rule in 1999 was cause for fresh optimism.

They advocated an immediate end to military rule and the holding of a national conference of all political forces.

After a period of military rule from March 1967 to April 1968 a republican Constitution was adopted in April 1971.

Weekend celebrations to mark the end of military rule had led to violent clashes between police and demonstrators.

new

She was not able to say whether anyone with past convictions had passed the selection process under the new rules .

Once the dinner behavior is under control, it is time to carry the new rules to new situations.

He tried to escape the cross-fire by getting the two offices separated but could not get the new rules approved.

A new rule was adopted by commissioners that would allow them to set a shotgun-only turkey season.

That triggered a rush of new rules -- more than 1, 100 in two weeks -- to beat the 1995 deadline.

This would be a system of adhoc law which would suggest that each novel situation warrants the creation of a new rule .

Bankinter has chosen not to take advantage of the new rules and continues to mark its bond portfolio to market prices.

simple

Business development professionals often rely on simple rules of thumb to sort potential relationships and weed out unlikely partners.

Practice these simple rules: Keep cold food cold.

It is a set of simple rules - a program or algorithm - that tells the developing organism what to do next.

And can not follow simple rules .

Here are some simple rules for managing paper: 1.

Martha discovered that a few simple rules about her home office are helping to maintain this porous and transparent border.

Mendel started a science that still rests upon his simple rules .

To create absorbing questions, remember to follow these three simple rules: a. Answer the question immediately.

strict

But one strict rule they had; oh yes, the strictest.

Back then, he said, most Orthodox Christians still adhered to strict fasting rules during the 40 days before Pasak.

At the same time, the protectorate's authorities want to maintain high standards of financial propriety with strict rules .

Children were routinely beaten for insignificant violations of strict company rules .

He says we have strict rules and regulations and the flying safety committee make sure they're administered.

They cling to their religion, its strict kosher rules and ancient rites of worship.

Within the society that Jane Austen features there are many strict rules .

The librarians have very strict rules .

unwritten

Certain unwritten rules may apply with regard to hospitality.

Although people management is not a science, it has a system of unwritten rules and logic.

Norms can be thought of as unwritten rules .

By an unwritten rule , they avoided controversy for the sake of good fellowship.

Without unwritten rules civilised life would be impossible.

But managers know the unwritten rules when they enter the business.

There are a number of unwritten rules or axioms which perhaps need to be questioned.

There is an unwritten rule in their crowd.

■ NOUN

ground

Once you realize this you can start treating it like any other interview, and apply the same ground rules .

The strategic support group ground rules were all they needed to get started.

There are no ground rules for knowing how to handle these semi-permanent relationships in the context of the larger family circle.

As long as the ground rules were properly observed, Gutfreund gave it right back.

Certain commonsense ground rules should be mentioned - discussing marital and financial problems with children, for example, is not advisable.

Some ground rules for the Cold War, of spirit if not of substance, were needed.

They are largely caused by a lack of knowledge or understanding in chambers where no ground rules are laid down.

The owners set the ground rules , then they find all the loopholes to enable them to move players anyway.

home

Politically he was a radical, keenly interested in free trade and home rule .

In 1878, Congress abolished what remained of home rule and took over the District.

In Parliament he was a determined opponent of home rule .

During the home rule crisis in 1885, Harland made secret preparations to withdraw to mainland Britain if the situation became intolerable.

If the former, then they have to accept that different unions are possible, devolved, home rule , federal.

He was mayor of Belfast in 1885-7 and helped co-ordinate the campaign against the home rule bill.

majority

Is majority rule under a system of parliamentary democracy a sufficient guarantee of legitimacy?

In the case of spending and tax legislation, majority rule is thus further weakened.

Many reject democracy in terms of party competition, majority rule and the rule of law.

Those who peopled them have either been driven out in a bloody liberation war or yielded their political supremacy to majority rule .

In these weeks, I have had the chance to listen to Joshua Nkomo calling for majority rule now.

Two working conclusions follow from this, namely, toleration and the qualification of majority rule .

The majority leadership's specialty became mounting filibusters or using other delaying tactics to prevent majority rule .

■ VERB

apply

I must apply the same rules to those on the Front Benches as to those on the Back Benches.

They discovered and applied the golden rule of leading change: Do unto yourself what you would have others do unto themselves.

Alternatively, an independent trustee may be appointed to apply the trust rules negotiated by the parties.

Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must of necessity expound and interpret that rule.

And for the pleasure of it I apply my rule to the urban world of glut.

Chapter 8 analyses the essential elements of an expert clause, applying the rules of contract law.

In applying these general rules , the courts look at each individual case in light of whatever state statute may apply.

bend

Only a zombie would risk a child's health by refusing to bend a rule .

The state government was willing to bend the rules where necessary to stop penalizing employers for creating jobs.

The willingness to bend the rules to authorize a major invasion of civil liberties contrasts sharply with the Spycatcher case.

These are urgent issues because the few charities that bend or break the rules put the law-abiding majority at a disadvantage.

However, it may yet be tempted to bend the rules to admit the two newcomers.

This bending of the rules was typical of Rabari thrift and good sense.

The advice on bending the rules came from the then Defence Minister, Alan Clark.

It can be done, if you, or your travel agent, are willing to bend airline rules .

break

Minton, meanwhile, became more and more extrovert and seemed determined to break all the rules .

Bill Clinton has broken the rule against electing the weepy.

It claims that Milosevic is poised to break the rules that he has himself defined.

These are urgent issues because the few charities that bend or break the rules put the law-abiding majority at a disadvantage.

Sure he breaks rules but he gets results.

I did break the rules and go over and cuddle her in her cot, but not pick her up out of it.

We are forbidden to ride the Cyclone, though I break the rule , and ride it, but rarely.

change

Equally, any proposed remedies must be addressed more to administrative and procedural practice than to changing formal legal rules .

All of these actions say clearly that the rules have changed .

Will the Department change that rule ?

A simple act, maybe, but it changed the rules of engagement for ever.

Lord Justice Ralph Gibson said arguments put forward had spelled out a powerful case for changing the rule .

Get a free hand to change work rules .

They wished to change the rules and require the politically committed members to contract in.

Every new card can change the rules for the whole game.

comply

Students failing to comply with the rules will be subject to the provisions of Ordinance 1985/7, Students Discipline.

Several other major oil companies have already taken large write-downs to comply with the new rule .

Parents must comply with the stringent rules for vehicular access, which are explained in a Headmaster's letter.

Louis Post-Dispatch have concluded that the transaction largely complied with House rules and was within tax law.

We have a certificate to run the race and we do comply with all the rules and regulations.

He is held personally responsible for complying with the many rules and regulations that govern its use.

In particular, the transaction seemed to comply with strict rules dictating the type of assets that banks could hold.

At the moment the offer is being considered by the Office of Fair Trading to see whether it complies with competition rules .

establish

Many families experience the problems of squabbles between siblings and learn to establish rules for mediating a problem.

It has failed to establish the rule of law, allowing gangsters and militants to intimidate at will.

This was supposed to be her final victory over him, supposed to establish her rule once and for all.

Ground rules Always establish good ground rules at the beginning of each session.

The 18-year-old king moved quickly to establish rule under his personal control.

The World Trade Organisation establishes rules governing trade, why can't we have something similar for finance?

Government is important because it can and should establish and enforce rules of conduct and protect property rights.

follow

And hence we can not check on whether we are following the rule by recalling the original sensation.

Menendez surrounded the Huguenots and carried on a charade following Old World rules .

Although those great animals have gone, they followed the same rules of instinct and habit as did their descendants.

Generally, follow these rules: Letters and memos: List the main points for the entire document.

Committees are formal and follow rules of procedure.

To find your soft spots, read the following rules and determine which ones you consistently break.

So they're asking musicians to follow a few simple rules , as Ken Goodwin has been finding out.

Do remember to praise him, however, when he follows the rule .

lay

He could order her about and lay down any rule he thought of.

It is hard to lay down rules about this ahead of time.

Society lays down the basic rules of the marriage contract.

It lays out constitutional rules on secrecy that any White House could claim.

He seemed to lay down rules and regulations.

This means organizations must continue to set norms and create a corporate culture but not lay down rigid rules .

Returning to Community legislation, the founding treaties lay down certain basic rules on the publication and commencement of such texts.

obey

The first is to create a new bureaucracy to make sure that insurers obey the rules .

The vast majority of Macintosh programs obey the rules and, therefore, allow information to be passed between them.

Perdita thought that not obeying rules was somehow cool.

Maxims, proverbs, and other forms of folk wisdom give a person reasons for obeying rules .

If the message Not a valid filename appears, your filename does not obey the rules .

But this time it would be different, this time she was not going to obey any silly rules .

It is not to be expected that each sentence written will obey grammar rules .

This filename should obey the following rules .

observe

You should still observe the general rules for stairs.

We observe the international rules of warfare in this head.

She wanted to touch him, but continued to observe the rules that kept them apart during office hours.

I sat down and talked with him a couple of times, obviously being very careful to observe all the rules .

Similarly, a requirement that the expert observe the rules of natural justice could be made a contractual obligation.

I myself always observed this rule .

Guests reclined on couches, observing strict rules as to their positions.

Members of the Commission qua members of the Commission had to observe the rules in performance of the treaty.

play

They were all playing by the same rules .

No significant playing rules changes are in the works.

The politicians had trapped him into a game played by their rules .

Most of us are still playing under the old rules .

Bernie said my sciatica would play me up and rule me out.

All games to be played according to pre-arranged rules .

Economies of organizational structure is a new game, though, played by new rules .

prove

But he was the exception that proved the rule .

The two exceptions prove the rule .

Or could you prove the rules of logic without using the rules to do so?

But such successes were rare: they are the exceptions that prove the rule .

This is the exception to prove the rule .

So much for the exceptions; now to prove the rule .

Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet Union had once seemed the enlightened exception, but now only proves the bloody rule .

That way they could be exceptions that prove the rule rather than embarrass it.

relax

However, the board will not relax the rule requiring any product called tequila to contain 51 % agave.

Postponement, says Kohl, is unacceptable, but so is relaxing the rules of entry.

Last September the Government relaxed rules on foreign workers coming to Britain to combat skills shortages.

The judicial antipathy to relaxing the rule has been far from uniform.

The following month the government relaxed its rules on censorship.

Mr. Lester submitted that the time has come to relax the rule to the extent which I have mentioned.

set

Only in one major area, capital, has Parliament or central government set detailed rules reducing this freedom.

By setting the rules , governments can structure the marketplace so it meets public needs.

If marriage is to do all the things that society demands of it, then the state must set some rules .

The owners set the ground rules , then they find all the loopholes to enable them to move players anyway.

It requires member states to set rules on mandatory bids, providing information to shareholders and treating them equally.

After six years in power, Park was becoming more repressive and had his sights set on long-term rule .

This is because his opponents in Congress set the rules and can change them whenever they want.

He was constantly setting out rules for Kyle, only to see Kyle ignore or defy them.

violate

They say they simply believe that Aldrich violated the rules by not obtaining full clearance for his manuscript.

The ordinance, passed unanimously Tuesday, makes it either a misdemeanor or infraction to violate a park safety rule .

A student-run committee decides if fellow mids are guilty of lying or of violating other honor rules .

So I guess the very nature of Magoo violates that rule .

Doctors and insurance companies faced federal fines and prison time for violating the rules .

The consequences of violating this rule had always been unhappy in the long run and not infrequently in the short.

The rule she violated is a dumb rule.

Wirk and her husband once paid $ 1, 500 each for violating the no-smoking rule .

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

be a stickler for detail/rules/accuracy etc

With his personal guests who were important to him or his state, Kim was a stickler for detail.

be subject to a rule/law/penalty/tax etc

blanket statement/rule/ban etc

Cine Blitz International publisher Rajesh Mehra attacked the blanket ban.

His support for a 15-month blanket ban on strikes suggests that he is still not wholly aware of this fact.

One of the most urgent measures is a blanket ban on all animal and bone meal in animal feed.

The ban is a blanket ban covering all marches or all marches of a particular class such as political marches.

The existing blacklist of substances not to be dumped at sea would be superseded by the blanket ban.

The idea behind this imposition of blanket bans was to prevent the temptation to discriminate against particular marches.

The state bar would prefer to set a blanket rule governing all types of lawyers.

They already had been instructed to avoid Simpson coverage, but Fujisaki expanded his order to a blanket ban on all news.

divide and rule/conquer

Britain did not divide and rule.

He preferred to divide and rule.

Here too the Party could fend off opposition by a policy of divide and rule.

Power to appoint is power to divide and rule.

That if you play the game of divide and rule long enough then you end up with Sister Souljah?

The well-tried Roman policy of divide and rule had been the basis of Augustan diplomacy and continued during the conquest.

They haven't shown the political will to sort out the problem - there has been an element of divide and rule.

hand down a decision/ruling/sentence etc

Just a few months earlier, the Supreme Court had handed down a decision inviting states to pass abortion restrictions.

She is expected soon to hand down a ruling.

The commission will seek to arbitrate a resolution before handing down a decision in late summer.

sb/sth is the exception that proves the rule

Most people our age have finished school, and Mike is the exception that proves the rule.

stay an order/ruling/execution etc

Rivals got a stay order from the courts, though after a backroom deal in mid-March the government got its way.

stick to the rules

Everyone in the party has a responsibility to stick to the rules agreed by the party conference.

Failure to stick to the safety rules could result in disaster.

I'd stuck to the rules arid nothing had happened.

It was all right if she was hours late, but Henry had to stick to the rules.

That government said at the summit it was sticking to the rules, and then suggested afterward it would not not.

work to rule

Plants work to rules rather different from those of animals.

Video-Tape, no voice over ARNCOTT/Oxfordshire Prison officers at Bullingdon prison near Bicester began their work to rule last night.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

British rule in India came to an end in 1947.

For many years Algeria was under French rule .

I have no sympathy for Jonson. He broke the rules and got caught, that's all.

It is strictly against the rules for athletes to take drugs.

It says in the rules that every child has to wear school uniform.

Late in 1991, Communist rule ended in Russia.

No one's allowed to ride with the driver. That's a company rule .

the rules of etiquette

The rules of grammar in French are very complex.

There have been some changes in the rules governing the use of safety equipment.

These are just guidelines, not hard and fast rules.

What are the rules of the game?

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Clear rules, fairly and consistently applied, are fundamental to all forms of punishment.

In general, two kinds of rule will be considered - first, rules of interpretation and second, prescriptive rules.

In the next section we will also discuss the loss of a morphological rule that created causative verbs from adjectives.

Legal advice must be taken to ascertain the exact rules and how they are applied.

So break any rules you please.

Sparky is a manufacturer within the rule and Pyro and Nancy are consumers.

The resultant grammar contained 3527 basic rules which were converted and extended to a set of 200,000 rules.

We can, however, instantly recognize the actual instances where rules are broken.

II. verb

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

out

Dole demanded that Clinton rule out pardons for his business partners in the failed Whitewater land scheme.

Ford dismissed an immediate meeting with the unions but did not rule out talks after Christmas.

Although he said the tire does not appear to have been shot, police have not ruled out that possibility.

However, one can not rule out the possibility that certain other new parties may appear.

No one has been able to create purified prions in a system that would rule out the presence of viruses.

The variety is enormous but many can be ruled out in not satisfying all the requirements.

The things that were ruled out were things that would put him in danger.

■ NOUN

country

Charles de Gaulle once lamented that he simply could not rule over a country that had 385 different kinds of cheese!

But because he is a child, the Earl of Moray, my half-brother, can rule the country for him.

They were now ruling the country and of course were rejoiced to welcome Aeneas and his men.

Frankly, we could hardly hope to rule a country if we went around killing everyone all the time, could we?

Parties seeking to rule a country should be accountable to all the people of the country.

court

Finally, the courts have ruled that school boards can impose economic sanctions on teachers who go on strike.

In Goodfellow the Court of Appeal ruled that there should be no reference to the risk of damage to property.

decree

The powers allow it to rule by decree and declare a state of war.

Article 38 permits the government to rule by decree .

Mr Gorbachev may well use his powers to rule by decree to push the reform through.

favor

Carter-appointed judges ruled in favor of the defendant in 40 percent of the cases, the study found.

He ruled in favor of the party for a large amount of damages.

In the last five years, some federal judges have ruled in their favor .

A Montgomery County jury ruled in their favor , and Aron was ordered to pay $ 175, 000.

He could rule entirely in favor of the government, and let all the rules stand.

The Pikes appealed to a juvenile court judge, who ruled in their favor .

judge

But they walked free from Bristol Crown Court after the judge ruled that there was no case to answer.

In 1994 a judge ruled that prisoners who were mentally competent were free to starve themselves to death.

In December 1978, federal district judge Marion Callister ruled that the extension was unconstitutional.

The police claimed the records weren't relevant to the case, but the judge ruled they should be disclosed.

Although there was conflicting testimony on whether or not the course was religious, the judge ruled that it was.

possibility

Detectives still haven't ruled out the possibility that she was abducted.

However, Bantle would not rule out the possibility that the mission could be cut short if the system is not repaired.

Abreu's strategies appear to rule out such renegotiation possibilities - an agreement is made once and for all and can never be reopened.

Expenses will be kept in line, he said, not ruling out the possibility of minor layoffs.

The government's overriding concern to ensure domestic stability ruled out the possibility of landless Emancipation.

Moreover, experiments on pigeons have been thought to rule out that possibility .

But, in a television interview, she appeared to rule out the possibility of a reconciliation.

They have also ruled out any possibility of supporting a rights issue.

roost

The mid-fielders ruled the roost up to the interval, but after a scoreless first half the Antrim team showed great dominance.

Alongside the State, they continued to rule the roost .

But it was those two who ruled the roost .

In the meantime, it was Amelia who ruled the family roost .

The late 1960s and early 1970s saw Lee Trevino ruling the roost on both sides of the Pond.

Effective discipline is neither harsh nor does it allow the child to rule the roost .

I kind of ruled the roost a bit, but we got on well.

■ VERB

refuse

But Suffolk governors, who share hiring and firing responsibilities with their school heads, have refused to rule out disciplinary action.

Haley Barbour, chairman of the Republican National Committee, pointedly refused last week to rule out using the tape in commercials.

The speculation was fuelled by Premier John Major who refused to rule them out.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

be a stickler for detail/rules/accuracy etc

With his personal guests who were important to him or his state, Kim was a stickler for detail.

be subject to a rule/law/penalty/tax etc

blanket statement/rule/ban etc

Cine Blitz International publisher Rajesh Mehra attacked the blanket ban.

His support for a 15-month blanket ban on strikes suggests that he is still not wholly aware of this fact.

One of the most urgent measures is a blanket ban on all animal and bone meal in animal feed.

The ban is a blanket ban covering all marches or all marches of a particular class such as political marches.

The existing blacklist of substances not to be dumped at sea would be superseded by the blanket ban.

The idea behind this imposition of blanket bans was to prevent the temptation to discriminate against particular marches.

The state bar would prefer to set a blanket rule governing all types of lawyers.

They already had been instructed to avoid Simpson coverage, but Fujisaki expanded his order to a blanket ban on all news.

sb/sth is the exception that proves the rule

Most people our age have finished school, and Mike is the exception that proves the rule.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

Ashley's life was ruled by her addiction to drugs.

At that time, Persia was divided into several provinces, ruled by local khans.

He ruled three lines under the title of his essay.

Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547.

In 1860, Italy was a collection of small states ruled by princes and dukes.

India was ruled by the British for a very long time.

Marcos ruled the Philippines for 20 years.

Mary, Queen of Scots, only ruled for six years.

Motamid had died, leaving his son Mostain to rule over Saragossa.

Paper ruled into one-inch squares is used to practice writing Chinese characters.

She divided the page into four by ruling two diagonal lines across it.

Spain ruled over Portugal from 1580 to 1640.

The Medical Examiner's office ruled the death a murder.

The Pol Pot regime ruled Cambodia from 1974 to 1978.

While they ruled, the country remained isolated from the rest of the world.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Anybody who could sew had a collection on show and fashion ruled.

Golding said that, before she reaches any conclusions, she wants a full briefing on the court ruling from Gwinn.

Speculation that the Dolphin Centre could be used has been ruled out by Mr Boyle who says it would be too expensive.

They were ruled by powerful clans.

This does not rule out evolution by mutation and selection.

Voting six to three, the court ruled that this ultimate threat violated states' rights.

Why weren't they ruled out of order before they transgressed?

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.