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exception
with the exception of
With the exclusion of a particular thing. I really enjoy my new job, with the exception of the long hours.
there is an exception to every rule
Rules are not as clear, permanent, and unchanging as they may seem. A: "I'm so relieved that the principal has not punished my daughter for missing more days of school than school policy allows." B: "Well, she was very sick. There is an exception to every rule." As much as I try to remind her that there is an exception to every rule, my grandmother remains totally inflexible.
The exception proves the rule.
Prov. Something that does not follow a rule shows that the rule exists. (Often used facetiously, to justify some rule you have proposed but which someone else has listed exceptions. From a Latin phrase meaning that an exception tests a rule.) Ellen: Men are always rude. Jane: But Alan's always polite. And Larry and Ted are polite, too. Ellen: They're just the exceptions that prove the rule. Bill: All the shows on TV are aimed at people with low intelligence. Alan: What about that news program you like to watch? Bill: The exception proves the rule.
make an exception (for someone)
to suspend a rule or practice for someone in a single instance. Please make an exception just this once. The rule is a good one, and I will not make an exception for anyone.
take exception
(to something) 1. to take offense at something. I must take exception to your remark. Sue took exception to Fred's characterization of Bill as a cheapskate.
2. to disagree with something. I have to take exception to the figure you quoted. The manager took exception to the statement about having only three employees.
be the exception that proves the rule
if you say something is the exception that proves the rule, you mean that although it does not support the statement you have made, the statement is usually true This woman is the exception that proves the rule that it is impossible to be a warmonger and a feminist at the same time.
except for
Also, with the exception of. Other than, were it not for. For example, Except for Jack, everyone came to the party, or With the exception of the weather, everything went extremely well. [c. 1600]
exception proves the rule, the
An instance that does not obey a rule shows that the rule exists. For example, John's much shorter than average but excels at basketball-the exception proves the rule . This seemingly paradoxical phrase is the converse of the older idea that every rule has an exception. [Mid-1600s]
make an exception
Exempt someone or something from a general rule or practice, as in Because it's your birthday, I'll make an exception and let you stay up as late as you want . This expression was first recorded about 1391.
take exception to
Disagree with, object to, as in I take exception to that remark about unfair practices. This idiom, first recorded in 1542, uses exception in the sense of "objection," a meaning obsolete except in a few phrases.
except for
Were it not for: I would join you except for my cold.
take exception
To express opposition by argument; object to: took exception to the prosecutor's line of questioning.