Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pottery barn rule

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.50 in modern English

Syllables: pot-tery barn rule
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

2

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A policy by which a retail store holds a customer responsible for damage done to merchandise on display.

noun

The principle that a country that invades or overthrows the government of another is responsible for stabilising and rebuilding that country.

Example Sentences

"Under these circumstances, the United States and its allies acted unjustly in invading Iraq. Does this set of circumstances give us any reason to think that the Pottery Barn rule now provides us with practical guidance?"

Etymology

Named after the American home furnishing chain Pottery Barn (though the chain does not have such a policy).

Inflected Forms

Pottery Barn rules (plural)

Phrases

you break it, you buy it

Frequently Paired Words

you break it, you buy it

Questions

What does pottery barn rule mean?: A policy by which a retail store holds a customer responsible for damage done to merchandise on display.
Where does pottery barn rule come from?: Named after the American home furnishing chain Pottery Barn (though the chain does not have such a policy).

How to pronounce pottery barn rule

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