bend the rules
English edit
Etymology edit
A metaphor where, instead of breaking the rules, the rules are only being "bent", lessening the effect.
Verb edit
bend the rules (third-person singular simple present bends the rules, present participle bending the rules, simple past and past participle bent the rules)
- To do something that is not normally allowed but is also not explicitly prohibited.
- Synonym: stretch the rules
- 2008, Robert A. Hinde, Bending the Rules: The Flexibility of Absolutes in Modern Life, →ISBN:
- Such a mechanism could preserve individuals with mainly prosocial inclinations by enabling them to bend the rules in minor ways without suffering from guilt and without losing out in competition with free-riders.