Greenheart
Well-Known Member
A bit OT, but this phrase is rather irksome. It refers back to the near-obselete meaning of 'prove', meaning to test something. Think of a rocket proving ground, for example. Hence 'the exception which proves the rule' is actually the one which most thoroughly tests the rule. However the modern day usage of the phrase is to allow people to hand-wave away evidence which does not fit their hypothesis. In its modern usage, it is pretty non-sensical really.
+1, nice bit of good sense. Lots of over-used cliches aren't fully understood (or even meant!) by their users.