SnoopRob
Inconceivable Member
- Messages
- 2,901
No it's not, the saying is "the exception that proves the rule". But the saying is often misused in everyday speech.The saying isn't The exception proves the rule" It is The exception proofs the rule"
As in it tests the rule
What is being referenced is a situation where a rule book (or procedural or law or whatever) doesn't mention a specific topic, but only mentions an exception to that topic.
For instance, if a building has a sign that says "No food or drink in the computer lab" and there are no other signs regarding food or drinks, then you can deduce that food or drinks are acceptable everywhere else in the building. The sign (stating the specific rule) forbidding food or drink in one part of the building would only exist as an exception to the unstated rule regarding the rest of the building, that food or drinks are ok.
In this case, the exception (the "no food or drink in the computer lab" sign) is the very proof of that the alternative is true for all other circumstances (food & drinks are acceptable elsewhere).