ride roughshod over

Idioms and Phrases

Act without regard for the feelings or interests of others, as in She just forges on, riding roughshod over her colleagues . This term alludes to the practice of arming horses with horseshoes mounted with projecting nails or points, which both gave them better traction and served as a weapon against fallen enemy soldiers. By 1800 it was being used figuratively for bullying behavior.

Related Words

• crush
• encroach
• flatten
• hurt
• infringe
• injure
• override
• overwhelm
• run over
• squash
• step on
• stomp
• violate