roughshod

To treat someone or something with marked disdain, brutality, or contempt; to act without regard for the wellbeing of something or someone. In her ascent to the top of the political ladder, the senator rode roughshod over anyone who stood in her way. The new management team has ridden roughshod over the projects that we've been planning for months.

To treat someone or something with marked disdain, brutality, or contempt; to act without regard for the wellbeing of something or someone. In her ascent to the top of the political ladder, the senator ran roughshod over anyone who stood in her way. This new administration has run roughshod over the political goodwill that the previous president forged with the recent foreign ally.

Fig. to treat someone or something with disdain or scorn. Tom seems to ride roughshod over his friends. You shouldn't have come into our town to ride roughshod over our laws and our traditions.

Act without regard for the feelings or interests of others, as in She just forges on, riding roughshod over her colleagues. This term alludes to the practice of arming horses with horseshoes mounted with projecting nails or points, which both gave them better traction and served as a weapon against fallen enemy soldiers. By 1800 it was being used figuratively for bullying behavior.

COMMON If someone rides roughshod over someone or something, they take decisions that will benefit themselves without considering what anyone else believes or wants. Bosses nowadays seem to think they can ride roughshod over unions. This is one of the few occasions in local government where voters can stop politicians riding roughshod over their wishes. Note: The verb run can be used instead of ride. Beaverbrook had run roughshod over the British military establishment to accomplish his objectives. Note: In the past, a roughshod horse had nail heads sticking out from its shoes, so it would not slip on icy roads. These shoes could cause terrible injuries if the horse rode over a person in a battle or by accident.

To treat with brutal force: a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition.

To act without consideration for another’s feelings or interests. The term comes from the seventeenth-century practice of arming cavalry horses with horseshoes mounted with projecting nails or points. This not only gave the horses better footing on slippery terrain but also served as a weapon against fallen enemy troops. Within the next hundred years or so the term was transferred to domineering behavior, overriding others without regard or respect. An 1861 issue of the Saturday Review stated, “We have ridden roughshod over neutrals in our time.”