Stately stride - appropriate to a ruler? (8,5)

I believe the answer is:

measured tread

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'to a ruler?' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'stately stride' is the wordplay.
'stately' becomes 'measured' (I've seen this before).
'stride' becomes 'tread' (synonyms).
'measured'+'tread'='MEASURED TREAD'

'appropriate' acts as a link.

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I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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