rough-and-tumble

[ ruhf-uhn-tuhm-buhl ]

adjective

1. characterized by violent, random, disorderly action and struggles:

   a rough-and-tumble fight; He led an adventuresome, rough-and-tumble life.

2. given to such action.

noun

1. rough and unrestrained competition, fighting, struggling, etc.

rough-and-tumble

noun

1. a fight or scuffle without rules

adjective

1. characterized by roughness, disorderliness, and disregard for rules or conventions

Word History and Origins

Origin of rough-and-tumble¹

First recorded in 1785–95

Idioms and Phrases

Disorderly scuffling or infighting, as in She had some reservations about entering the rough and tumble of local politics . This expression originated in the late 1700s in boxing, where it referred to a fight without rules. [Mid-1800s]

Related Words

• disorderly
• rough
• rugged
• strenuous
• tempestuous
• turbulent