Do rule and law have the same meaning when you talk about an activity like a game?
I came across this sentence in the Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's Dictionay:
"Match officials should not tolerate such behaviour but instead enforce the laws of the game."
I've heard "the rules of the game" a lot and wonder what the word "law" refers to in this sentence. Is it the same as rule? Can you use the word "rule" in the sentence, without any change in meaning?
Best Answer
Rule is defined as "an accepted principle or instruction that states the way things are or should be done, and tells you what you are allowed or are not allowed to do" (Source: Cambridge Dictionaries). Rules carry lower consequences than a law and can be agreed and adjusted by concerned parties. Laws are like legal versions of rules.As the rules which are enforceable fall under the definition of law "enforce the laws of the game" was used in that sentence. These laws in professional sport are enforceable and players must follow them.