rough-and-tumble

rough-and-tumble
rough-and-tumble & rough-and-ready
disorderly; aggressive. •

That was a rough-and-tumble football game.

George is too rough-and-ready for me. He doesn't know how to act around civilized people.

* * *
1. {n.} Very rough, hard fighting or arguing that does not follow any rules. * /There was a rough-and-tumble on the street last night between some soldiers and sailors./ * /Many people don't like the rough-and-tumble of politics./ 2. {adj.} Fighting or arguing in a very rough and reckless way; struggling hard; not following rules or laws. * /It took strong men to stay alive in the rough-and-tumble life of the western frontier./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • rough-and-tumble — 1. {n.} Very rough, hard fighting or arguing that does not follow any rules. * /There was a rough and tumble on the street last night between some soldiers and sailors./ * /Many people don t like the rough and tumble of politics./ 2. {adj.}… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • rough and tumble — n 1.) [U] a situation in which people compete with each other, often in a cruel way rough and tumble of ▪ the rough and tumble of public life 2.) [singular,U] noisy rough behaviour when playing or fighting, especially by children >rough and… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • rough-and-tumble — noun uncount 1. ) the rough way in which a particular activity is usually done, especially one in which there are no rules: rough and tumble of: It s all part of the rough and tumble of a political campaign. 2. ) rough behavior when playing …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • rough-and-tumble — [ruf′ ntum′bəl] adj. violent and disorderly, with no concern for rules [a rough and tumble fight] n. a fight or struggle of this kind …   English World dictionary

  • rough and tumble — ► NOUN ▪ a situation without rules or organization. ORIGIN originally boxing slang …   English terms dictionary

  • Rough and tumble — The first use of the term rough and tumble for fighting dates back to the early 1700s in the North American frontier. [http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart gorn 0401.htm] Rough and tumble fighting was the original American no holds… …   Wikipedia

  • rough and tumble — also rough and tumble 1) N UNCOUNT: oft the N of n You can use rough and tumble to refer to a situation in which the people involved try hard to get what they want, and do not worry about upsetting or harming others, and you think this is… …   English dictionary

  • rough-and-tumble — 1. noun Very rough, hard fighting or arguing that does not follow any rules. There was a rough and tumble on the street last night between some soldiers and sailors. Many people don t like the rough and tumble of politics. 2. adj Fighting or… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • rough-and-tumble — I. noun Date: 1792 rough disorderly unrestrained fighting or struggling; also infighting II. adjective Date: 1832 1. marked by rough and tumble < grew up in a rough and tumble atmosphere E. J. Kahn >; also rough and ready …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • rough-and-tumble — 1. adjective a) active, vigorous and rough, with the possibility of harm She found fame and success in the rough and tumble garment district. b) highly competitive 2 …   Wiktionary

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