<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Look up exception that proves the rule in Wiktionary, the free dictionary . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Look up exception that proves the rule in Wiktionary, the free dictionary . </Td> </Tr> <P> "The exception proves the rule" is a saying whose meaning has been interpreted or misinterpreted in various ways . Its true definition, or at least original meaning, is that the presence of an exception applying to a specific case establishes ("proves") that a general rule exists . For example, a sign that says "parking prohibited on Sundays" (the exception) "proves" that parking is allowed on the other six days of the week (the rule). A more explicit phrasing might be "the exception that proves the existence of the rule ." </P> <P> An alternative explanation often encountered is that the word "prove" is used in the archaic sense of "test". Thus, the saying does not mean that an exception demonstrates a rule to be true or to exist, but that it tests the rule . In this sense, it is usually used when an exception to a rule has been identified: for example, Mutillidae are wasps without wings which cannot fly, and therefore are an exception that proves (tests) the rule that wasps fly . The explanation that "proves" really means "tests" is, however, considered false by some sources . </P>

What does the exception that proves the rule mean
find me the text answering this question