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rough-and-ready

[ ruhf-uhn-red-ee ]
/ ˈrʌf ənˈrɛd i /
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adjective
rough, rude, or crude, but good enough for the purpose: a rough-and-ready estimate of future expenses.
exhibiting or showing rough vigor rather than refinement or delicacy: a cowboy—the rough-and-ready type.
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Origin of rough-and-ready

First recorded in 1800–10

OTHER WORDS FROM rough-and-ready

rough-and-read·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rough-and-ready in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rough-and-ready

rough-and-ready

adjective
crude, unpolished, or hastily prepared, but sufficient for the purpose
(of a person) without formality or refinement; rudely vigorous

Derived forms of rough-and-ready

rough-and-readiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with rough-and-ready

rough and ready

Unrefined or makeshift but available for use or action, as in The agenda is somewhat rough and ready, but it covers the main issues. [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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