rough

bit of rough a (usually male) sexual partner whose toughness or lack of sophistication is a source of attraction. informal

2006Movie City Recall … his smart-dumb performance as Francis Bacon's bit of rough in Love is the Devil.

cut up rough behave in an aggressive, quarrelsome, or awkward way. British informal

☞ Cut up is here being used in the sense of 'behave'. The phrase cut up rough is used by Dickens and the variant cut up savage (now no longer in use) by Thackeray.

2007Telegraph Mr Miliband wants to prove a point to Mr Brown-who cut up rough with him over details of the Climate Change Bill, blocking his idea for personal carbon budgets.

live rough: seelive.

rough and ready

1 rough or crude but effective.

2 (of a person or place) unsophisticated or unrefined.

rough and tumble a situation without rules or organization; a free-for-all.

☞ The expression originated in 19th-century boxing slang.

rough around the edges having a few imperfections.

rough as bags lacking refinement; coarse. Australian & New Zealand informal

a rough diamond a person who has genuinely fine qualities but uncouth manners. informal

☞ Literally, a rough diamond is a diamond before it has been cut and polished. A North American variant of this expression is a diamond in the rough.

the rough edge (or side) of your tongue a scolding.

rough edges slight imperfections in someone or something that is basically satisfactory.

the rough end of the pineapple: seepineapple.

rough justice

1 treatment, especially punishment, that is approximately fair.

2 treatment that is not at all fair or not in accordance with the law.

a rough passage a difficult time or experience.

a rough ride: seeride.

sleep rough sleep in uncomfortable conditions, usually out of doors. British

take the rough with the smooth accept the difficult or unpleasant aspects of life as well as the good.