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REFERENCE

rhyme or reason

idiom
Meaning

Logic; common sense.


Origin

disputed origin

Calque of Middle French n'y avoir ryme ne raison (Eustache Deschamps), attributed to the poet Edmund Spenser in a conversation with Queen Elizabeth I.

Examples
SIMPLE

His strange plan has no rhyme or reason.

CONTEXTUAL

The instructions for this new machine are so confusing that they seem to have no rhyme or reason.

COMPLEX

The sudden changes to the company policy lacked any rhyme or reason, leaving the employees frustrated and unable to understand the new direction.

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    13th reason why

    Alternative form of thirteenth reason why.

  2. 02

    reason with

    To convince (someone) to do (or not do) something using rational arguments; to get (someone) to view something rationally.

  3. 03

    rhyme off

    To list or recite quickly.

  4. 04

    stand to reason

    To seem logical, rational, or reasonable; to make sense.

  5. 05

    thirteenth reason why

    Synonym of thirteenth reason.

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