ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE, subs. phr. (common).—1. A free fight; a mellay: as adj. = boisterous.
1838. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 2 S., 1. "Fair fight, or rough and tumble,—we've whipped 'em, that's a fact."
1873. Conservative, 15 Feb. His talent for rough and tumble does not hold his own against the more scientific style and larger frame of the Oxford Pet.
1883. Payn, Thicker than Water, xiv. Ralph foresaw that there might be . . . "a rough and tumble" with his young relative.
1883. The Lute, 15 Jan., 20, 1. "That Dreadful Boy" is, in point of fact, an old-fashioned rough-and-tumble farce.
1888. Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xxxvii. Moran after his rough and tumble with Jim . . . was ready for anything.
2. (venery).—The female pudendum: see Monosyllable: also the Rough-and-ready. Hence a bit of rough = a woman.
ROUGH-DIAMOND, subs. phr. (common).—A
person of heart but
no manners.
1753. Adventurer, No. 64. He married a lady, whose influence would have polished the rough diamond by degrees.
1853. Lytton, My Novel, v. xiv. And believe me, though I'm a rough diamond, I have your true interest at heart.
ROUGH-FAM (or ROUGH-FAMMY),
subs. phr. (old).—A waistcoat
pocket.—Vaux (1812).
ROUGH-MALKIN, subs. phr. (venery).—The
female pudendum:
see Monosyllable.
1538. Lyndsay, Works [Laing, 1. 131, 91]. I dreid rouch malkin die for droute.
ROUGH-MUSIC, subs. phr. (common).—A
clatter of sticks, pots,
pans, and musical instruments:
for the annoyance of offenders
outraging public prejudice. Sometimes
accompanied by a burning
in effigy.
ROUGHRIDER'S-WASHTUB, subs.
phr. (military).—The barrack
water-cart.
ROUGHSHOD. To ride roughshod
(over, or down).—To
domineer; to be void of guts
(q.v.) or BOWELS (q.v.).
1881. Nineteenth Century, xxvi. 894. Henry [VIII.], in his later proceedings, rode roughshod over the constitution of the Church.
1892. Lowe, Bismarck, 1. 283. The Chamber had again been riding roughshod over His Majesty's schemes of army reform.
ROUGH-UP, subs. phr. (pugilists').—A
fight at short notice.
1889. Referee, 26 Jan. It may be remembered that only a few weeks ago, in a similar rough up with the gloves to that under notice.
ROUND, subs. (colloquial).—An
appointed and established circuit
of travel: generic: cf. rounder.
Hence gentleman of the
round = an officer of the watch.
Thus (1) round (topers') = (a)
liquor enough to go round the
table, and (b) a toast drunk round;
(2) round (gamesters') = (a)
cards to all, and (b) a hand in
which all the players deal in turn;
(3) an habitual course of visits,
calls for orders, inspection; (4) a
shot, a cartridge; and (5) archery
= a competition; (6) (pugilists'—old)
= the successive periods of
action in a mill: between fall and
fall; and (pugilists'—new, under
Queensbury Rules) = so many encounters
so many minutes long.
