hard-and-fast

Kidnapping, as a hard-and-fast rule, is never a wise choice.

Though it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, Los Angeles often likes to go its own way after the New York group announces its top film.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how long a jury must keep attempting to resolve differences before a mistrial can be declared.

The famed neuroscientist and author reaches through the abstract realm of academic debates on consciousness by climbing down a richly biographical thread, connecting the high-minded with hard-and-fast reality.

“There are no hard-and-fast rules, only general guidelines and varied court decisions,” according to a digest by Stanford University librarians.