A “rule” is an order from one of the superior courts, and a “rule nisi” is such an order “to show cause.” That is, the rule is to be held absolute unless the party to whom it applies can “show cause” why it should not be so.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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