> Similarly, getting good at math doesn’t mean marching through a gauntlet of rules on every problem

No, it does to a degree. The rules are inferred from observation and internalized, but not precisely. "little" before "old" is a rule, almost motoric. As a foreign speaker I agree that isn't a logical rule :)

edit: I guess, the author is looking for the term heuristic (a general rule that is right often enough, but not precise nor complete).