rough it

Idioms  

1. Do without the usual comforts and conveniences, as in We spent our vacation roughing it in a log cabin. This idiom was first recorded in 1768. Mark Twain used it as the title of an account of his experiences in Nevada (Roughing It, 1872).

---

Example Sentences

I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

While that includes people sleeping rough, it also includes people such as those who:

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2023

And then there’s the disheartening reality that tells you just how rough it is out there for arts organizations in this increasingly expensive city: Hugo House is still struggling.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2023

From the rough, it must be a three-shot hole.

From Washington Post • Jun. 17, 2022

Once, White invited him to a relative’s ranch: “We do not have to rough it on his ranch, for he has every convenience except air cooling and you don’t need that.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann