rough-and-tumble
[ ruhf-uh n-tuhm-buh l ]
/ ˈrʌf ənˈtʌm bəl /
adjective
characterized by violent, random, disorderly action and struggles: a rough-and-tumble fight; He led an adventuresome, rough-and-tumble life.
given to such action.
noun
rough and unrestrained competition, fighting, struggling, etc.
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Words nearby rough-and-tumble
rough spin, rough stuff, rough trade, rough up, rough-and-ready, rough-and-tumble, rough-cut, rough-dry, rough-hew, rough-legged buzzard, rough-legged hawk
Origin of rough-and-tumble
First recorded in 1785–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for rough and tumble
rough-and-tumble
noun
a fight or scuffle without rules
adjective
characterized by roughness, disorderliness, and disregard for rules or conventions
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
Idioms and Phrases with rough and tumble
rough and tumble
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.