rules of acceptable behaviour► convention the rules and customs of acceptable behaviour, which are generally accepted by the members of a group or society: · He is a flamboyant millionaire who ignores social conventions.convention of: · She shocked her neighbours by ignoring every convention of respectable society.a matter of convention: · It is a matter of convention that male business people usually wear suits.defy convention (=do something unconventional): · For the next four years they defied convention by living as man and wife when they were not.
► protocol the system of rules for behaviour on official occasions: · According to protocol, he was to arrive at the meeting exactly five minutes early.breach of protocol (=behaviour not according to protocol): · Touching the Queen was a breach of royal protocol.
► etiquette the rules of polite behaviour in society or in a particular group: · Etiquette is especially important on occasions such as weddings and funerals.breach of etiquette (=behaviour not according to etiquette): · It was considered a breach of etiquette to refuse an invitation.professional etiquette (=the etiquette followed by people working in a particular profession): · Professional etiquette dictates that judges should not express their opinions about a case in public.
► unwritten law a rule or way of behaving that is not official but is accepted by most members of a society or group: · It was an unwritten law of the Mafia that nobody should talk to the police.· Jobs like this never go to women -- it just seems to be one of those unwritten laws of business.
► netiquette informal the commonly accepted rules for polite behaviour when you are communicating with other people on the Internet: · Sending an angry e-mail in capital letters breaks the rules of netiquette.
the commonly accepted rules for polite behaviour when communicating with other people on the Internet