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Re: OT: Proving the rule (was Re: OT: Russian in ASCII?)

From:Joe <joe@...>
Date:Wednesday, January 7, 2004, 14:33
Christophe Grandsire wrote:

> En réponse à Tristan McLeay : > > >> The expression is 'the exception that proves the rule', and harkens back >> to an older meaning of 'prove' and 'proof' of 'test'. Though along with >> the changed definition of 'prove', the saying's been misanalysed as >> meaning what you said. > > > Strange. In French the saying has always been "l'exception qui > confirme la règle", never *"qui prouve la règle".
Maybe it was borrowed from English. But with 'confirm' it's just nonsense, anyway.

Replies

Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>