5 second rule

An unwritten law dictating that if a food or other consumable item is dropped onto the floor, it may be picked up up and eaten within five seconds. The reasoning behind this is that dirt and germs take six seconds to transfer from one surface to another.

The rule by which one determines whether or not food is safe after falling onto the floor. That is, if you are able to retrieve said item within 5 seconds, it is not dirty and is safe to eat.

* Note: in fraternity houses, this rule is the 1.5 second rule. Rule is invalid in the restroom.

Rule invoked whenever dropped food is picked up and consumed in the presence of others. Time can vary widely depending on the type of food dropped: a sirloin steak at a barbecue may have nine lives, while a street vendor hotdog is declared unfit for consumption even before it touches the ground.

A rule describing the amount of time that a magical force field surrounds a dropped piece of food, after which the force field drops and the food can become dirty and not edible

1. If an article of food is dropped, the 5 second rule states that it is still elligible for eating within a 5 second interval.

2. A rule governing the amount of time it takes for George W Bush to speak before he mispronounces a word.

A socially accepted rule that states a piece of food or edible meterial can safely be eaten if it is dropped on the ground for no more than five seconds.

A highly scientific finding that says that germs need at least five seconds to jump on food that falls on the floor, enabling the person who dropped said food to pick it up and safely consume it, as long as they do so within five seconds of dropping it.