rule off

English

Verb

rule off (third-person singular simple present rules off, present participle ruling off, simple past and past participle ruled off)

1. (transitive) To draw a line underneath, for example to mark the end of a topic or of an accounting period.
   • 1917, John Regester Humphrey, George Anton Nahstoll, Accounting Records for Country Creameries, page 15:

     The correctness of the accounts receivable ledger is ascertained by comparison of its balance with that of the control account. The practice of arbitrarily ruling off accounts in the ledger at the end of each month because of the fact that creamery operation usually is divided into monthly periods is not recommended, since it is intended that the ledger shall represent a continuous, accumulated record of the transactions throughout the year.