rules are rules
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: rules is rules
Meaning · English
The rules are certain and cannot be ignored or worked around.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Quy tắc là quy tắc và không thể bị bỏ qua hoặc lách
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “rules are rules” mean?
The rules are certain and cannot be ignored or worked around.
Is “rules are rules” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.