The word “applicable” has been used in literature with remarkable flexibility, signifying both a universal relevance and a case-specific suitability. In many philosophical and sociological works, such as Durkheim’s analysis of religion [1, 2, 3] or Bertrand Russell’s discourse on common nature [4, 5], “applicable” is employed to denote ideas or theories that transcend particular instances and resonate broadly. In other texts, including works by Thomas Jefferson [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12] and Edgar Allan Poe [13, 14], the term is used in a more practical sense, suggesting that a method or observation must be modified or adapted to fit specific circumstances. Additionally, literary figures like John Stuart Mill [15] and Plato [16, 17, 18] invoke “applicable” to stress the pertinence of certain principles within their respective domains, whether in abstract reasoning or tangible examples. Overall, its usage reflects a dynamic interplay between the abstract and the practical, underscoring the fluidity with which writers approach generalization and specificity in their arguments.