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• rough-and-ready
  rough-and-ready

  adjective

  rough, rude, or crude, but good enough for the purpose.
• 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]

rough-and-ready

American  

[ruhf-uhn-red-ee] / ˈrʌf ənˈrɛd i /

adjective

1. rough, rude, or crude, but good enough for the purpose.

   a rough-and-ready estimate of future expenses.

2. exhibiting or showing rough vigor rather than refinement or delicacy.

   a cowboy—the rough-and-ready type.

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rough-and-ready British  

adjective

1. crude, unpolished, or hastily prepared, but sufficient for the purpose

2. (of a person) without formality or refinement; rudely vigorous

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rough and ready Idioms  

1. 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]

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Other Word Forms

• rough-and-readiness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of rough-and-ready

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rough-and-ready rough and ready

To call this the rough-and-ready style of a workshop would not do as an excuse: A workshop requires workmanship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

The rough-and-ready stemmed projectile points, made from whatever rocks were on hand, differ significantly from so-called Clovis points.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 22, 2022

According to an annual survey of new vehicle owners from the consumer-research firm Strategic Vision, the vast majority almost never employ their rough-and-ready vehicles for towing or off-roading.

From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2022

The City of Paris department store, begun in the rough-and-ready 1850s as S. Lazard and Company, for Solomon Lazard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2021

The transition from the chaotic, individualistic, rough-and-ready nature of 1920s jazz to a more streamlined form of swing in the 1930s was mirrored in other musical genres.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

"This is not at all what I am used to seeing by David Hockney," he added, describing it as "very rough and ready", with a "wobbly signature".

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2023

This rough and ready character, in Melissa McCarthy’s case, and this buttoned-up FBI agent.

From Slate ● May 31, 2019

Younger has great empathy for the rough and ready characters he encounters, both good and bad.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2018

It’s a bit rough and ready, but their physical approach is definitely disrupting Senegal’s flow.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 28, 2017

I remember thinking that there were times when the rough and ready humor of this burgher was in very bad taste.

From Adventures in Swaziland The Story of a South African Boer by Owen Rowe O'Neil