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.
crude, unpolished, or hastily prepared, but sufficient for the purpose
(of a person) without formality or refinement; rudely vigorous
First recorded in 1800–10
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some showstopping pieces were sold at Vivienne Westwood’s London shop Seditionaries, which revolutionized a rough-and-ready pop-culture style that still resonates to this day.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
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
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.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
To be sure, he was a rough-and-ready man.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
“I’m interested in better justice, not rough and ready justice,” Nicklin said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2023
It was the rough and ready Nigel Benn against self-styled traditional Englishman Chris Eubank - he walked around with a cane and monocle for goodness sake!
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2022
This rough and ready character, in Melissa McCarthy’s case, and this buttoned-up FBI agent.
From Slate ● May 31, 2019
There, Wellman’s rough and ready personality came into its own.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2017
That is a rough and ready test, no doubt, but a sensible and satisfactory one.
From The Expositor's Bible: Colossians and Philemon by Maclaren, Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
