rough-and-tumble

[ruhf-uhn-tuhm-buhl]

adjective

1. characterized by violent, random, disorderly action and struggles.

   a rough-and-tumble fight; He led an adventuresome, rough-and-tumble life.

2. given to such action.

noun

1. rough and unrestrained competition, fighting, struggling, etc.

rough-and-tumble

noun

1. a fight or scuffle without rules

adjective

1. characterized by roughness, disorderliness, and disregard for rules or conventions

Word History and Origins

Origin of rough and tumble¹

First recorded in 1785–95

Idioms and Phrases

Disorderly scuffling or infighting, as in She had some reservations about entering the rough and tumble of local politics. This expression originated in the late 1700s in boxing, where it referred to a fight without rules. [Mid-1800s]

Related Words

• disorderly 
• rough 
• rugged 
• strenuous 
• tempestuous 
• turbulent