rough trade

American  

[ruhf treyd] / ˈrʌf ˈtreɪd /

noun

Slang.

1. gay male prostitution, especially involving brutality or sadism.

2. a gay male prostitute who engages in brutality or sadism, or such gay men collectively.

3. violent, often brutal sex acts.

4. a lower-class man who is found sexually attractive by a gay man from a higher social class.

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rough trade British  

noun

1. slang (in homosexual use) a tough or violent sexual partner, esp a lorry driver, construction worker, or docker, casually picked up

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Etymology

Origin of rough trade

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Belgium was asked by the EU to draft a proposal and it hopes to retain Antwerp as the main hub for rough trade.

From Reuters • Nov. 3, 2023

His final column, published on New Year's Eve, focused on the challenges facing journalists "and their rough trade" in 2018.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2018

Yes," I answered, "but they are incident to the rough trade I follow, which is that of a hunter and explorer.

From Allan and the Holy Flower by Haggard, Henry Rider

He was hard by nature, hardened by his rough trade; and unconscious that he was doing anything at all heroic or great.

From Expositions of Holy Scripture Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and First Book of Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, and Second Kings chapters I to VII by Maclaren, Alexander

Think what it meant to work out of such a crude, rough trade into one so delicate!

From Christopher and the Clockmakers by Stecher, William F. (William Frederick)