But Europe is not a universal exemplar: it is a specific case and a particular experience.
"This is a specific case of the larger pay-for-performance trend, the idea that you should pay more for quality than lack of quality, or in this case pay less for defects," said Dr. Donald M. Berwick, president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Libya is a specific case: Muammar el-Qaddafi is erratic, widely reviled, armed with mustard gas and has a history of supporting terrorism.
Later, Mr Dijsselbloem himself issued a statement insisting that Cyprus was a "specific" case faced with "exceptional challenges", though by that stage the damage had been done.
Mrs Justice Theis emphasised it was a specific case "only concerned with the welfare needs of these children" when outlining her decision.
Mr. Dijsselbloem later retracted his words, saying in a statement that Cyprus was "a specific case with exceptional challenges," and that bailouts were "tailor-made to the situation of the country concerned and no models or templates are used".
Or, as Mr Dijsselbloem told interviewers, it was time for governments to start "pushing back the risks".Markets swooned, prompting a hasty clarification that the Cypriot package was "a specific case with exceptional challenges".
But stocks came off their lows after Mr. Dijsselbloem clarified his previous comments and said, "Cyprus is a specific case with exceptional challenges, which required the bail-in measures we have agreed upon yesterday.
It is a specific case of a generalized case where more than one feature occur.
"This is a specific case where the government is asking for access to information," Bill Gates told The Financial Times.
