rough up v.
1. to act aggressively; to cause a fuss.
‘’Arry on the Elections’ in Punch 12 Dec. 277/2: And if they rough up and cut didos, [...] jolly well like the whole lot! | ||
‘’Arry on the Sincerest Form of Flattery’ in Punch 20 Sept. 144/2: I’m all right and a ’arf, mate, I am, and ain’t going to rough up, no fear! |
2. (US) to beat up, to injure, esp. to intimidate.
‘Harry on ’Arry’ in Punch 17 Aug. in (2006) 23: British cads [...] / And the way they rough-up the foreigners. | ||
Morn. Astorian (OR) 27 Aug. 5/2: The stocky little fellow roughed up [...] Muller. | ||
Torchy 39: But that didn’t make up for the way he’d roughed Mallory. | ||
Taking the Count 10: Rough him up in the clinches. | ‘Sporting Doctor’ in||
Walls Of Jericho 204: They ain’t roughin’ sho’ nuff, is they? | ||
Never Come Morning (1988) 174: You better not try roughin’ that girl up anywhere else, either. | ||
Criminal (1993) 96: I wished I hadn’t roughed him. | ||
On the Waterfront (1964) 13: They had [...] roughed up Joey’s old man a little bit. | ||
Pagan Game (1969) 220: I am wondering if Sumner really did rough up the Thomas girl. | ||
Dealer 81: I think he was gonna rough off somebody that owed him some cash [ibid.] 107: Her husband and her had separated. [...] And he roughed her off a few times, you know. | ||
To Reach a Dream 33: ‘I don’t like to be gorilla an’ rough it off—but then [...] I hope ya don’t doubt I’ll use this shiv if ya force me’. | ||
Breaking Out 293: Timothy was roughed-up by Crewe. | ||
It (1987) 835: I might have roughed him up a little, but that’s only because when someone talks wrong to you I get a little hot under the collar. | ||
Hip-Hop Connection Dec. 8: Tricky apparently got one of his bodyguards to rough up a writer. | ||
Love Is a Racket 392: Tell him you did it; tell him you roughed me around some. | ||
Outlaws (ms.) 146: Ratter roughed up one of the girls last weekend. Knocked her about bad. | ||
🌐 He’d give them a minute to rough the Jerk up a bit. | ‘Hula Hula Boys’ in What Pluckery Is This? (28 Jan 2024)
In derivatives
a prizefight distinguished by fouls or near-fouls.
Mirror of Life 23 Mar. 10/3: No one in the wide, wide world can ever make him believe that he did not get it ‘in the neck’ [...] when the referee called the Smith-Walcott ‘roughing match’ a draw. |