rough-and-ready

[ruhf-uhn-red-ee]

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.

rough-and-ready

adjective

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

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

Other Word Forms

• rough-and-readiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rough and ready¹

First recorded in 1800–10

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Trump is a hero to many in the South and many Western states because, cossetted New York rich-boy though he may be, Republican voters see him as a rough-and-ready fellow rebel.

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

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For Mr. Trump, the tough talk with reporters was part of his persona as a rough-and-ready political pugilist standing up to the media elites.

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From the genteel Thomas the Tank Engine to the rough-and-ready racecar Lightning McQueen, children’s entertainment has been filled with talking cartoon vehicles that run on feelings as much as on fuel.

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The New York Times called her “pert and twinkling”; The Washington Post, “uber-confident, rough-and-ready”; The Wall Street Journal, “deliciously impish and knowing.”

Read more on New York Times