rough-and-tumble
See also: rough and tumble
English
Alternative forms
- rough and tumble
Etymology
rough + and + tumble
Adjective
rough-and-tumble (comparative more rough-and-tumble, superlative most rough-and-tumble)
- active, vigorous and rough, with the possibility of harm
- highly competitive
- She found fame and success in the rough-and-tumble garment district.
Noun
rough-and-tumble (plural rough-and-tumbles)
- Rough activity; fighting or brawling; a fight.
- 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
- "You played Rugger for Ireland, did you not? You don't mind a possible rough-and-tumble, do you?" Malone grinned over the receiver.
- 1995, Anthony Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement, page 23
- She liked ragging; but ragging — and nothing more — these rough-and-tumbles remained
- 2000, Mark Michael Smith, The Old South, page 105
- As for rough-and-tumbles, the Quaker saw no hope of suppressing them. Few nights passed without such fights […]
-
- An environment of rough activity
- A person who characteristically engages in such activity
- 1854, William Chorlton, "The Culture of Celery", in The Horticulturist, and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste, ed. by Luther Tucker, page 166
- This will appear a very tedious process to some of our rough-and-tumbles.
- 1854, William Chorlton, "The Culture of Celery", in The Horticulturist, and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste, ed. by Luther Tucker, page 166
Translations
rough activity; fights
|
an environment of rough activity
a person who characteristically engages in such activity
Verb
rough-and-tumble (third-person singular simple present rough-and-tumbles, present participle rough-and-tumbling, simple past and past participle rough-and-tumbled)
- Engage in rough-and-tumble activity
- 1853, Thomas De Quincey, Historical and Critical Essays, page 4
- But, for all that, our British experience of electioneering "rough-and-tumbling'" has long blunted the edge of our moral anger.
- 1995, David Kenneth Wiggins, Sport in America: From Wicked Amusement to National Obsession, page 38
- Although examples could be found throughout the South, rough-and-tumbling was best suited to the backwoods.
- 1853, Thomas De Quincey, Historical and Critical Essays, page 4