I've heard the phrase, "the exception that proves the rule," but it's not clear to me what it means. It sounds self contradictory. What is a good example of "an exception that proves the rule?" Can this phrase be used effectively in formal dialog, or is it only colloquial?
Answer
The least stupid usage I have encountered for this phrase -- no real idea whether it's actually to do with its origins -- is when a rule expresses a tendency or preference rather than a hard-and-fast delineation, and the difficulty encountered in going against that tendency demonstrates the force of the rule.
A random example might be a rule that "bears do not dance". The amazing Dr. Florenheimer trains a bear to dance in his traveling circus. This forms an exception to the rule, but the years that it took Dr. Florenheimer to train the bear, along with the expense and injuries to staff, make it an exception that "proves" the rule, in some sense -- at the least, proving that it may not be violated lightly.
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