Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also put the rule on) of a pickpocket, to check all a person’s pockets.

1873		Sl. Dict. 273: Rule ‘To run the RULE over,’ is, among thieves, to try all a person’s pockets quietly, as done by themselves, or to search any one thoroughly, as at the police-station.
1878		Bell’s Life in London 30 Nov. 10: Jack might have run the rule over any or all of the men [on] the St Albans coach and found nothing to pick.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 16 Nov. 4/1: It ain’t sich a very long time ago sence I’d a run the rule over a joker just as quick as a sleepy Chinaman ’ud fall out of the fork of a tree.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 68: Rule,‘to run the rule over,’ to search one’s pockets; to rob a drunken man, is‘to run the rule over him’.
1897		Sheffield Wkly Teleg. 19 June 17/2: The boys had ‘run the rule’ over the clerk, and taken even his Waterbury [watch].
1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.].
1902		Bulletin (Sydney) 16 Aug. 17/1: The advice I tender him [...] is this: When ‘upending sleepers’ for an honest living, always pass the teetotallers (I know they’re scarce), and ‘run the rule’ over beer-chewers only. Otherwise you may get ‘snagged’ again.
1902		W.A. Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Mar. 1/1: The pernicious ‘private bar’ system is being introduced into many leading hotels hereabouts [...] these sly seraglios are immensely useful to spielers in ‘running the rule’ over rustics.
1909		Truth (Brisbane) 10 Oct. 12/6: I got a few ounces [of gold] and got on the spree. I woke one morning [...] and found myself penniless— some crawler had put the rule on me.
1927		C. Drew ‘Grafter and Goose’ in Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Aug. n.p.: ‘[W]e ran the rule over him. All he had on him was an old leather purse’.

2. (also run the rule through) to search.

1873		see sense 1.
1879		‘Autobiog. of a Thief’ in Macmillan’s Mag. (London) XL 504: A reeler from Hackney [...] said, ‘I am going to run the rule over (search) you.’.
1886		Daily News 30 Sept. iii 2: When paraded each man has the rule run over him, i.e., searched [F&H].
1886–96		Marshall ‘He Slumbered’ in Pomes 118: A lady... ran the rule through all His pockets for her cheek was fairly tall [F&H].
1892		Illus. Police News 1 Oct. 4/1: His hesitation encouraged the master of the vessel to have him searched. ‘Run the rule over him, Davis and Barker,’ he said.
1899		Bendigo Indep. (Vic) 5 Apr. 1/2: ‘What! Are you Detective Murray,?’ Receiving an affirmative answer, he said, ‘Why, you are the man I ‘ran the rule over’ a minute ago’.
1907		D. Stewart Shadows of the Night in Illus. Police News 6 July 12/3: ‘Close the window [...] or my young friend’ll be coming to before I’ve run the rule over him,’ said Gregson [...] ripping open the pockets of his victim’s clothing.
1919		W.H. Downing Digger Dialects 43: run the rule over (vb.) — Search a man for valuables.
1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: run the rule over. Search the man for valuables.
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 9: Run the rule over: To search a person.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).

3. (also run the ruler over) orig. to give someone a medical examination; thus to subject to any form of examination or assessment, overt or otherwise; often in a sporting context.

1868		Sportsman 3 June 4/2: There is not a horse dealer of position [...] who would not [...] ‘run the rule over’ over [...] and point out the best animals.
1889		Northern Echo 15 Jan. 4/6: It has never appeared to yours truly a good practice to run the rule over entrants for any event.
1898		Sporting Life (London) 9 Nov. 4/4: I must now run the rule over the liverpool Autumn meeting.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 29 Dec. 21/2: Gee-up, Germany, and she is geeing. [...] Britannia rules the waves, but with the Kurfürst and the Atlantic liner Deutschland Germany ‘runs the rule’ over Britannia, who will have to gee up.
1907		Eve. Star (Wash., DC) 29 Dec. 30/2: ‘I’ll run the rule over ’em between here an’ Port Said. If I have any doubts about one or two, we can ship ’em home’.
1915		Sports Argus 5 June 4/4: The Midland Joint Tennis Show have [...] guaranteed eighteen classes for that gentleman to run the rule over.
1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: run the rule over. [...] to estimate [a man’s] capabilities.
1930		Leeds Mercury 30 Dec. 8/1: ‘The Duke’ [is] priviledged to ‘run the rule’ over Mr Bellerby’s horses shortly before.
1940		Dundee Courier 25 Apr. 4/3: [headline] Run the Rule Over Them.
1951		Northern Whig (Antrim) 20 Nov. 2/1: The youth selectors should run the rule over these Coleraine Y.M.C.A. players.
1999		P. Temple Black Tide (2012) [ebook] Cam’s run the ruler over him.

4. of police, to interrogate a suspect.

1938

J. Curtis They Drive by Night 157–8: ‘Just run the rule over him, Ted.’ Only one detective was left with Harry. He pulled a chair up and started talking confidentially.