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• n  an authoritative declaration
• n  an opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding

• The dictum that the world is flat is being challenged by some people.
• Obama's election gave the 16th President's famous dictum that "all men are created equal" a new resonance.
• His second dictum states, "War is a matter of expedients.

• pronouncement
• say-so
• obiter dictum

News & Articles

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• Oh, Behave! Amanda Palmer Stars at P.S. 122?s Spring Gala
  Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer and Lady Rizo. It is a widely accepted dictum that well-behaved women seldom make history. Fortunately, none were in attendance last week for Performance Space 122’s spring gala. The former public school-turned-East Village bastion of alternative theater has been undergoing some much-needed renovations of late—its physical space is out of commission through 2015—but P ...
  June 18, 2013 - The New York Observer

Quotes

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• John Sentamu in BBC News
  The events of the past week on our television screens have reminded us only too well of Dr King's famous dictum that 'ignorance is the root of all prejudice',Dr Sentamu said. "Sadly ignorance is not in short supply. Racism is real. As the...
• Kevin Rudd in The Age
  What we now have is the new Nelson doctrine: 'What I say in opposition has nothing whatsoever to do with what I do in government',Mr Rudd said. "In other words, the overall dictum of those opposite is to say anything, to do anything, to...
• Warren Buffett in Washington Post
  I follow the old dictum: There's never just one cockroach in the kitchen,Buffett said.