special cases
Not the norm
Special cases are exceptions to a general rule or pattern—instances that require different treatment because standard approaches don't apply.
In law, medicine, and technical fields, special cases often get their own procedures: The tax code has special cases for inherited property.
Someone might claim special-case status to justify exemption from ordinary expectations: He thinks he's a special case who doesn't have to follow the rules.
- exceptionsCases not following rules
- peculiarityUnusual distinguishing characteristic
- quirkPeculiar behavioral trait
- aberrationDeviation from the norm
- outliersExtreme data points
odd one out · rare bird · loophole · gray area · judgment call · anomaly · rarity · modifications · qualifications · reservations · limitations · restrictions · mitigating circumstance · extenuating factors · carve-out · fine print · square peg in a round hole · caveats
- fine pointsnuance, subtlety, detail, minutiae, minutia
- gray areasgray areas, murky waters, fuzzy boundaries, ambiguities, fine lines
special casesone-size-fits-all
Meant for anybody
no exceptions · equal treatment · boilerplate · standardization
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