rough 
A simple mode of roughing horses, practised in Russia. 
E. 11. Kniijht, New Mech. Diet., p. 770. 
(6) To break in a horse, especially for military use. To 
rough in, in plastering, to spread roughly upon brick, 
as the first of three coats. 
When three coats are used, it [the laying on of the first 
coat of plaster] is called pricking up when upon laths, 
and roughing in when upon brick. 
De Colange, Diet. Commerce, I. 378. 
To rough it, to live in a rough, haphazard manner; put 
up with coarse or casual food and accommodations ; endure 
hardship or inconvenience. 
Take care of Fanny, mother. She is tender, and not 
used to rough it like the rest of us. 
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, xxxix. 
Molly Corney was one of a large family of children, and 
had to rough it accordingly. 
Mrs. Gaskell, Sylvia's Lovers, ii. 
II. intrans. To behave roughly ; specifically, 
to break the rules in boxing by too much rough- 
ness. 
That no wrestling, roughing, or hugging on the ropes 
[in boring] be allowed. Encyc. Brit., XXIV. 691. 
rough 1 (ruf ), adv. [< rough 1 , .] Roughly ; in 
a coarse, crude, or harsh manner. 
.466. You should for that have reprehended him. 
Adr. Why, so I did. 
Abb. Ay, but not rough enough. 
Shak., C. of E., v. 1. 58. 
To cut up rough. See cut. 
My jealous Pussy cut up rough 
The day before I bought her muff 
With Sable trimming. F. Locker, Mabel. 
rough 2 (ruf), . [Also formerly ruff; appar. an 
abbr. of ruffian, but now associated with rough 1 
and accordingly conformed to it in spelling. It 
is not probable that the adj. rough alone would 
give rise to such substantive use.] A rowdy ; 
a ruffian ; a rude, coarse fellow ; one given to 
riotous violence ; a bully. 
The great queen, moody, despairing, dying, wrapt in the 
profoundest thought, with eyes fixed upon the ground or 
already gazing into infinity, was besought by the coun- 
sellors around her to name the man to whom she chose 
that the crown should devolve. "Not to a rough," said 
Elizabeth, sententiously and grimly. 
Motley, United Netherlands, IV. 138. 
[In a foot-note Scaramelli is quoted to the effect that the 
word signifies in English "persona bassae vile."] 
I entertain so strong an objection to the euphonious 
softening of ruffian into rough, which has lately become 
popular, that I restore the right word to the heading of 
this paper. 
Dickens, All the Year Round, Oct. 10, 1868. (Latham.) 
A lady living in the suburbs of London had occasion to 
make complaint because a rough climbed on to her garden 
wall and broke off a branch from one of her fruit trees. 
T. C. Crawford, English Life, p. 188. 
rough 3 (ruf), v. t. A bad spelling of riffi. 
roughage (ruf'sg), n. [< roughs + -age.] Eough 
or coarse material ; something for rough use, as 
straw for bedding animals. [Local, U. S.] 
Bedding or roughage is scarce, especially in the milk- and 
the fancy-butter-producing regions near our great cities. 
Encyc. Amer., I. 98. 
rough-backed (ruf'bakt), a. Having a rough 
back: as, the rough-backed cayman, Alligator or 
Caiman trigonatus, of South America. 
rough-billed (ruf bild), a. Having a rough 
horny excrescence on the 
beak: specific in the 
phrase rough-billed peli- 
can, Pelecanus trachyrhyn- 
chus (or erythrorhi/nchus). 
This remarkable formation is 
deciduous, and is found only 
on adult birds during the 
breeding-season. 
rough-bore (ruf ' bor), 
r. t. In metal-working, to 
inftVA witVt a Vmvino 1 tnnl 
matfe, witna Donng-tooi, 
a heavy, coarse cut in, 
preparatory to a lighter and smooth finishing 
cut. 
rough-cast (ruf'kast), ii. A kind of plastering 
for an external wall, composed of an almost fluid 
mixture of clean gravel and lime, dashed on 
the wall, to which it adheres. 
Let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough- 
cast about him, to signify wall. Shak., M. N. D., iii. 1. 71. 
Gorgon. "Twas my invention. 
Oasp. But I gave it polish, Gorgon. 
Oorg. I confess you took off the rough-cast. 
Shirley, Love Tricks, i. 1. 
rough-cast (ruf 'kast), i\ t. 1. To form rough- 
ly or crudely; compose or shape in a rudimen- 
tal manner; block out in the rough: as, to 
rough-cast a model ; to rough-cant a story or an 
essay. 
Xor bodily nor ghostly negro could 
Roughcast thy figure in a sadder mould. 
Cleavcland. 
This rough-cast, unhewn poetry was instead of stage- 
plays, for the space of an hundred and twenty years to- 
gether. Dryden, Essay on Satire. 
RouKh-billedl'elican (Peleca- 
nus traC Hy rhynch , lS ). 
5241 
2. To cover with a coarse semi-fluid plaster by 
casting or throwing it : as, to rough-cast a wall. 
See the noun Rough-cast pottery. See pottery. 
rough-caster (rut"kas"ter), . One who rough- 
casts. 
rough-clad (ruf'klad), a. Having rough or 
coarse apparel. Tlioinxmi. 
rough-cull (ruf'kul), v. t. To cull (oysters) 
hastily or for the first time, throwing out only 
dead shells and other large trash. 
rough-dab (ruf'dab), n. A pleuronectid fish, 
Hippoglossoides limandoides. 
rough-draft (ruf'draft), v. t. To draft or draw 
roughly ; make a rough sketch of. 
rough-draw (ruf'dra), v. t. To draw or deline- 
ate coarsely; trace rudely. 
His victories we scarce could keep in view, 
Or polish 'em so fast as he roughdreic. Dryden. 
rough-dry (ruf'dri), v. t. To dry by exposure 
to the air without rubbing, smoothing, ironing, 
etc. 
The process of being washed in the night air, and rough- 
dried in a close closet, is as dangerous as it is peculiar. 
Dickens, Pickwick, xvii. 
rough-dry (ruf'dri), a. Dry but not smoothed 
or ironed : as, rough-dry clothes. 
roughen (ruf n), v. [< rough 1 + -en. Ci. rough 1 , 
i'.] I. trans. To make rough; bring into a 
rough condition. 
Such difference there is in tongues that the same figure 
which roughens one gives majesty to another ; and that it 
was which Virgil studied in his verses. 
Dryden, Ded. of the .iBneid. 
Her complexion had been freckled and roughened by ex- 
posure to wind and weather. The Century, XXXVI. 513. 
II. intrans. To grow or become rough. 
The broken landscape, by degrees 
Ascending, roughens into rigid hills. 
Thomson, Spring, 1. 958. 
rougher (ruf'6r), n. 1. One who roughens or 
roughs out ; specifically, a workman who shapes 
or makes something roughly, preparatory to 
finishing operations. 
When the glass [for a lens] is handed to the rougher, it 
is round in shape. 
E. L. Wilson, Quarter Century in Photography, p. 86. 
2. A piece of woolen cloth as taken from the 
loom, previous to its preparation for fulling by 
the operation called perching. 
Woollen cloth from the loom, called rougher^, has an 
irregular, slack aspect, very different from the same web 
when it comes to be sold as, say, broad-cloth. 
Encyc. Brit., XXIV. 661. 
3. A percher. 
rough-footed (ruf 'fin/ ed), a. Having feathered 
feet, as a grouse, pigeon, or hawk; feather- 
footed; rough-legged. 
rough-grained (ruf 'grand), a. Same as coarse- 
grained, as qualifying things orpersons. [Bare.] 
She became quite a favourite with her rough-groined 
hostess. CornhM Mag. 
rough-grind (ruf 'grind), v. t. To grind roughly, 
or so as to leave the surface rough or unpolish- 
ed, as with a coarse grindstone or with the aid 
of a roughening material. 
The Duke of Wellington ordered his Scots Greys to 
rough-grind their swords, as at Waterloo. 
W. Phillips, Speeches, etc., p. 83. 
Cast-iron is used by . . . opticians, with sand or emery, 
for rough-grinding. 0. Byrne, Artisan's Handbook, p. 433. 
rough-head (ruf 'hed), . 1. The iguanoid liz- 
ard of the Galapagos, Traeliycephalus subcris- 
tatiis. 2. Same as red-dace. 3. The common 
shiner, Luxilus cornutus. [Local, U. S.] 
rough-hew (ruf 'hu), . t. [Early mod. E. roughe- 
heawe; < rough 1 + hew 1 .] To hew coarsely with- 
out smoothing, as timber ; hence, to give a rough 
or crude form to, as if by hewing. 
There 's a divinity that shapes our ends, 
Hough-hew them how we will. 
SAoJr., Hamlet, v. 2. 11. 
Arough-heu-n seaman, being brought before a wise just- 
ass for some misdemeanour, was by him sent away to 
prison. Bacon, Spurious Apophthegms, 6. 
This roughhtwen, ill-timber'd discourse. 
Howell, Vocall Forrest, Pref. 
rough-hewer (ruf'hu // er), n. [< roiigh-hete + 
-erl.] One who rough-hews. 
rough-hound (ruf 'hound), n. The rough hound- 
fish or dogfish, a kind of shark. 
roughie (ruf'i), n. [Dim. of rough' 1 .'] Brush- 
wood ; dried heath. [Scotch.] 
Laying the roughies to keep the cauld wind frae you. 
Scott, Guy Mannering, liv. 
roughing-drill (ruf'ing-dril), ii. See drill*. 
roughing-hole (ruf 'ing-hoi), . In iiicfnl., a 
hole into which iron from the blast-furnace is 
sometimes allowed to run. 
rough-string 
roughing-mill (nif'ing-inil), . A circular plate 
or wheel, made of lead or iron, charged with 
emery wet with water, and usually revolved in 
a horizontal position, for roughing and grinding 
any gem except the diamond. 
roughing-rolls (ruf 'ing-rolz), n. pi. In a rolling- 
mill, the first pair of rolls between which pre- 
pared blooms are passed, for working them into 
approximate shape. Also called roughing-down 
rolls. 
roughingS (ruf'ingz), n. pi. [< rough* (cf. 
roiigliii'') + -ini/ 1 .] See roiren. [Prov. Eng.] 
roughleg (rufleg), . A rough-legged hawk. 
rough-legged (ruf'leg"ed or -legd), a. Having 
the tarsi feathered; feather-footed, as a hawk: 
specifically noting the members of the genus 
ArcMbuteo. The common rough-legged hawk 
or buzzard is A. lagopus. See cuts under Archi- 
buteo and squirrel-hawk. 
roughly (ruf'li), adr. 1. In a rough manner; 
with pnysical roughness or coarseness; with- 
out smoothness or finish ; in an uneven or ir- 
regular manner as to surface or execution. 
A portrait of astern old man, in a Puritan garb, painted 
roughly, but with a bold effect and a remarkably strong ex- 
pression of character. Hawthorne, Seven Gables, xiii. 
2. With asperity of manner or effect ; coarsely ; 
harshly; gruffly; rudely; gratingly; austerely. 
Joseph saw his brethren, and knew them, but . . . spake 
roughly unto them. Gen. xlii. 7. 
3. Without precision or exactness; approxi- 
mately ; in a general way. 
Six miles, speaking roughly, are 30,000 feet. 
Huxley, Amer. Addresses, p. 36. 
rough-necked (ruf 'nekt), a. Having the neck 
rough : as, the rough-uecked jacare, Jacare hirti- 
collis, of South America. 
roughness (ruf'nes), . [< ME. *roughnes, 
rownes ; < rough* + -ness.] 1. The state or 
property of being rough, in any sense of that 
word; physical, mental, or moral want of 
smoothness or equability ; asperity, coarseness, 
harshness, rudeness, etc. 
This is some fellow 
Who, having been praised for bluntness, doth affect 
A saucy roughness. Shak., Lear, ii. 2. 103. 
Divers plants contain a grateful sharpness, as lemons ; 
or an austere and inconcocted roughness, as sloes. 
Sir T. Browne. 
The roughness of a surface, as that of a piece of undressed 
stone, may be recognized to some extent by merely laying 
the outspread hand on the surface. 
J. Sully, Outlines of Psychol., p. 168. 
2. Fodder for animals, consisting of dried corn- 
stalks cut into short pieces. [Southern and 
western U. S.] 
She slipped off her horse, pulled the saddle from him, 
and threw it inside the door, then turned the animal 
loose. "Ef he gits ter thur roughness, I shan't blame him 
noan," she remarked. 
Ore a North Carolina Mountain, N. Y. Tribune, Oct. 28, 1888. 
= Syn. See rouyhi. 
rough-perfect (ruf 'per^fekt), a. Approximate- 
ly perfect in the memorizing of a part : said of 
an actor when he can begin rehearsing from 
memory. [Theatrical slang.] 
rough-rider (ruf 'ri"der), . 1. One who breaks 
young or wild horses to the saddle ; in the army, 
a non-commissioned cavalry or artillery offi- 
cer detailed to assist the riding-master, one 
being allowed to each troop or battery. 2. 
Loosely, a horseman occupied with hard, rough 
work. 
The rough-rider of the plains, the hero of rope and re- 
volver, is first cousin to the backwoodsman of the south- 
ern Alleghanies. T. Roosevelt, The Century, XXXV. 505. 
rough-scuff (ruf 'skuf), n. A rough, coarse fel- 
low ; a rough ; collectively, the lowest class of 
the people; the riffraff ; the rabble. [Colloq., 
U. S.] 
rough-setter (ruf'set'er), n. A mason who 
bunds rough walls, as distinguished from one 
who hews also. 
roughshod (ruf 'shod), a. Shod with shoes armed 
with points or calks : as, a horse is said to be 
roughshod when his shoes are roughed or sharp- 
ened for slippery roads TO ride roughshod. See 
ride. 
rough-slant (ruf 'slant), M. A lean-to; a shel- 
ter made of canvas, blankets, bark, or boards 
laid on poles supported on crotches, and slop- 
ing from a ridge-pole to the ground. Sports- 
man's Gazetteer. 
rough-spun (ruf 'spun), a. Rude; unpolished; 
blunt. Halliwetl. 
rough-string (ruf string), . In carp., one of 
the generally unplaned inclined supports for 
the steps of a wooden stairway, usually con- 
cealed from view. 
