work-to-rule
English
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work-to-rule
Where it comes from
Deverbal from work to rule.
noun work-to-rules · work to rule
- A labor protest in which employees do only the minimum work required by the rules of a workplace, following safety or other regulations to the letter in order to cause a slowdown.
adjective work to rule
- Of or pertaining to such a protest. Disgruntled by chronic staff shortages, doctors threatened a “work-to-rule” action at the East London Hospital Complex by the end of this week.
Translations
Every language
noun labor protest in which the minimum work is carried out
| Español | huelga de celo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 按章工作 ànzhānggōngzuò |
| Français | grève du zèle |
| Deutsch | Dienst nach Vorschrift |
| Italiano | sciopero bianco |
Talk about this word "work-to-rule." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/work-to-rule. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. work-to-rule. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/work-to-rule "work-to-rule." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/work-to-rule.Cite this
@misc{work_to_rule_2026,
title = {work-to-rule},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/work-to-rule},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
